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Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day official visit to Nepal on Monday.

The Foreign Minister of Oman arrived at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Arzu Rana Deuba.

Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal received the Omani Foreign Minister at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

During the visit, the two Foreign Ministers are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting and discuss various matters on further bolstering Nepal-Oman ties, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry said that the visiting Omani Foreign Minister will pay courtesy calls on President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

He is scheduled to leave Kathmandu on August 27.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that it was common to have some issues between neighboring countries and they could be resolved by holding open dialogue.

Releasing a book written by former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa in the federal capital today, the Prime Minister said there would be no problems between the neighboring countries if solutions were sought on the basis of evidence abiding with international obligations along with judicious national interests.  

Releasing the book titled Kutniti Ra Bhurajniti (Diplomacy and Geopolitics), Prime Minister Oli said Nepal maintains balanced relations with both neighboring countries based on honesty and impartiality. "We will not use any card of a neighbor against another. We will not wish for anyone's misfortune. We will not let our land be used against any of the neighbors. We support neutrality and peaceful resolution," the PM said.     

We abide by the UN principles, PM Oli said, adding that we should dare say it is inappropriate if it was violated.  He was of the view that evidence should be furnished rather than arguments.

We are sensitive to the issues of world peace and security of Nepali citizens. No country should infringe on another country's pride for serving one's interest, PM Oli reasoned.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli urged the Indian side to receive the report of the Eminent Persons' Group (EPG), which was formed after the consensus of the top leaders of Nepal and India for the review of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1950 and others.  It would be easier to hold further dialogue on the issues of border disputes, among others.  

Likewise, Prime Minister Oli said that the treaty of trade and transit with China, signed when he was the Prime Minister in 2015 and during India's blockade over Nepal, was an epoch-making event.

Sunday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of the Federal Parliament, convened to address the outstanding electricity dues owed by industries to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), ended without a resolution.

Committee Chair Rishikesh Pokharel had proposed a six-point directive to tackle the issue, but the meeting became contentious when MPs objected to several of the proposed measures, including punitive actions against NEA's Executive Director, Kulman Ghising, and referring the matter to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The disagreement among members escalated into a heated exchange.

MPs from the CPN (Maoist Center) strongly opposed the directive, arguing that it was introduced with malicious intent. They warned that they would not accept any decisions made under such circumstances and threatened to reject any attempt to impose the directive forcefully.

The Nepali Congress MPs also showed little enthusiasm for making an immediate decision. When they expressed their hesitation, Chairperson Pokharel adjourned the meeting without reaching a conclusion.

Pokharel’s proposed directive included key actions such as instructing the relevant authorities to collect the Rs 21.88bn in outstanding dues identified by the Auditor General, seeking explanations for why the recommendations made by the previous committee were not implemented, and issuing new directives to enforce those recommendations.

The NEA has been trying to recover electricity dues from dozens of industries that used dedicated feeders and trunk lines to power their operations during the country’s severe electricity shortages. The problem began in 2008 and peaked in 2016 when Nepal faced up to 14 hours of power cuts daily during the dry season.

The Public Accounts Committee asserts that these industries owe Rs 21.88bn to the state-owned power utility. However, the Electricity Tariff Dispute Resolution Commission, led by former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal, recommended that the NEA charge only Rs 6.41bn for the outstanding electricity tariffs from mid-January 2016 to mid-May 2018, plus a 25 percent fine. The commission argued that it would not be practical to charge the same rate for electricity used after the load-shedding period ended.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has instructed the Nepal Police that takes the major responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the country to always be alert to the prevention of untoward incidents.

The Prime Minister wanted the Nepal Police to make a prognosis of offenses, investigate them and take maximum measures for the prevention.

While inaugurating a newly constructed building of the District Police Range Kathmandu at Bhadrakali of Kathmandu metropolis-11 today, the Prime Minister directed the police personnel to remain highly alert to potential forces unleashing instability and anarchy, and to deliver with the dedication to the interest of citizens.

"The incumbent government will not tell the Nepal Police not to arrest any criminals, any accused and ask for framing the innocents," he said, adding that the incumbent government was formed with the sentiments for delivering something for the cause of the nation and people.

He said that the Nepal Police is expected to serve the citizens at its best level and abide by the Constitution and law.

The Prime Minister of the coalition government said the government wishes to promote stability in the country. He also assured that no employee in the police institution has to seek undue favor from anyone else for promotion and transfer. "This government does not entertain undue approach and influence," he said, urging police personnel to deliver confidently.

The building was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.26 billion and the Nepal Police purchased 15 ropanis (one ropani is equivalent to 5476 sq feet) of land owned by the then Nepal Food Corporation at a cost of Rs 1.10 billion to build the advanced building for the Range that first started its service in 2012 BS from Hanumandhoka.