Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli left for Turkmenistan on Sunday night, leading a Nepali delegation to attend the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakash Man Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey saw off the prime minister at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

On the occasion, the prime minister was accorded a guard of honour by a contingent of the Nepal Army.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Oli is visiting Turkmenistan at the official invitation of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow and UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres.

He is scheduled to deliver an address in his capacity as the chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and also in his national capacity, the foreign ministry said.

In addition to his plenary speech, Oli will co-chair a high-level roundtable session and participate in several other official events.

On the sidelines of the conference, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with heads of delegations from various countries, as well as senior officials from the United Nations and other international organisations.

He is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya; Chief Adviser Bishnu Prasad Rimal, lawmakers Surya Bahadur Thapa; and other senior government officials.

Oli is scheduled to return to Nepal on August 8.

Nepal is currently the chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Nepal assumed the role in April 2023, taking over from Malawi. The Bureau is tasked with promoting and protecting the interests of LDCs, which are low-income countries facing significant development challenges. Nepal’s chairmanship is for a three-year term.

The conference in Turkmenistan is themed ‘Driving progress through partnerships’ and aims to address the unique challenges faced by LLDCs due to their geographic remoteness.

The event will feature political-diplomatic, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian activities, with over 30 heads of state expected to attend, along with leaders of international and regional organisations, organisers said.