Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali visited Russia

On November 24-26, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali paid a working visit to the Russian Federation.

On November 25, he had negotiations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia. During the talks the two foreign ministers discussed the current state of bilateral relations and prospects for their development.

The two sides underscored the importance of exchange of high-level delegations, including judicial, parliamentary and business ones. Honourable Minister Gyawali handed over an invitation of Right Honourable President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to pay a state visit to Nepal at a convenient time. He also handed over an invitation of Right Honourable Prime Minister of Nepal K P Sharma Oli to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. Minister Lavrov indicated that Gyawali’s visit is of utmost importance taking into account that the previous meeting between top diplomats of Russia and Nepal was held 14 years ago.

The Foreign Ministers of Russia and Nepal agreed to foster the development of bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of investment, trade, tourism, education, energy, culture, industrial and social infrastructure development.

The Nepali Side acknowledged with thanks Russia’s assistance in many areas, including post-disaster support in 2015, infrastructure development and cultural cooperation. On the eve of the Visit Nepal 2020 Campaign, the Nepali Foreign Minister expressed his hope for the increase of the tourist flow from Russia to his country. Since the agenda of climate change is of high importance for both countries, Hon. Mr. Gyawali invited Sergey Lavrov to take part in the first meeting of the international forum “Sagarmatha Dialogue” that is going to be organized on 2-4 April 2020 in Kathmandu.

The Parties indicated a mutual willingness to continue cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other international organizations. Nepal is currently a “dialogue partner” of the SCO. As the Organization’s founding member, the Russian Federation expressed its willingness to extend cooperation with Nepal within the framework of the SCO. The two Ministers also expressed mutual interest in maintaining a regular political dialogue and expanding cooperation in various practical fields.

On November 26, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali visited Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He had a meeting with the university management and delivered a lecture to students specializing in the South Asia. Guests were welcomed by MGIMO Rector A.V. Torkunov.

In his speech, the Minister highlighted the issues of foreign and domestic policy of Nepal, the country's economic development, possibilities to increase of tourist flow and to grow Nepal’s investment opportunities for international business.

The Minister noted the friendly nature of relations with Russia, which are based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and consideration of each other's interests. In conclusion, the Foreign Minister of Nepal expressed hope for bringing Russian-Nepali relations to a new level and answered questions from the audience.