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Foreign Minister NP Saud held a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at the Department of State in Washington DC on Monday.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on matters of common interest in bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of common concern.

On the occasion, both sides expressed satisfaction over the current state of bilateral relations between Nepal and the USA while renewing their commitment to expand and deepen engagements across the areas of mutual interests, said the Embassy of Nepal based in Washington DC, USA.

The Foreign Minister highlighted development priorities of Nepal in the context of the country’s graduation from the least developed country and called for enhanced levels of support from the United States in the areas of trade and investment, market access, food security and IT sector, among others.

He requested the United States for reauthorization and expansion of Nepal Trade Preference Program (NTPP) and GSP facilities by adding new exportable items of interest for Nepal.

Minister Saud thanked the US government for its continued cooperation for socio-economic development of Nepal, including the recent US assistance through USAID and Millennium Challenge Compact. Both sides stressed the importance of timely implementation of the projects under the MCC.

Appreciating Nepal’s progress in consolidating democratic governance, Secretary Blinken expressed that the US Government wishes to see Nepal as a strong and prosperous democracy. Secretary Blinken assured the Foreign Minister that the US would continue its support to Nepal’s development endeavors.

The two sides also exchanged views on Nepal-US cooperation in multilateral forums, and other matters of common concern in regional and global affairs, including the ongoing situation in the Middle-East.

The Foreign Minister signed the guest book at the State Department prior to the meeting.

During the bilateral meeting, Minister Saud was accompanied by Ambassador Sridhar Khatri and other senior officials from the Ministry and the Embassy. Secretary Blinken was accompanied by US Ambassador to Nepal Dean Thompson and senior officials from the Department of State.

Later in the evening, Ambassador Sridhar Khatri hosted a reception at his residence in honor of the Foreign Minister in presence of senior officials from various US agencies including the White House, Department of State, USAID, and MCC, as well as members of diplomatic corps, and representatives of Nepali American community.

Foreign Minister arrived in Washington DC for the bilateral visit on Monday morning.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reached Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha, to welcome United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The United Nations Secretary General will visit Lumbini today.

The UN high official, who is on a four-day official visit to Nepal, is arriving here from Pokhara.

After arriving in Lumbini, Guterres will be escorted in a car from Lumbini Gate No 4 up to the Peace Lamp site.

Sanu Raja Shakya, the Member-Secretary of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT), said that the Buddhist abbots, vikkhus, priests, nuns from the monasteries and the local mothers’ groups, various community groups including the indigenous Tharu and the hotel entrepreneurs at the Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality will welcome the UN Secretary-General from the Shanti Deep (peace lamp) to the Mayadebi Temple, lining up on both sides of the route. 

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati, Chief Minister of Lumbini Province Dil Bahadur Chaudhary and LDT officials will also be there to welcome the visiting UN dignitary.

Minister Kirati and Chief Minister Chaudhary arrived here on Monday itself.

It has been learnt that Guterres will give a message of world peace from the Buddha's birthplace. He will plant a sapling in Lumbini.  Secretary General Guterres will leave here for Kathmandu at 10.30 am.

LDT senior director Gyanin Rai said the UN Secretary-General's visit to the world heritage site, Lumbini, will give further publicity to the Buddha's birthplace and his message of peace. It will also help promote tourism in Lumbini.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who arrived in Pokhara on Monday in the course of his four-day official visit to Nepal, has left for the Annapurna Base Camp.

He left for the Base Camp on a helicopter of the Nepali Army this morning.

The UN high dignitary will hold talks with the locals on the impact of climate change in the Himalayan region, the condition of the mountains among other topics upon reaching the Base Camp, it has been said. The Base Camp is situated at 4, 130 meters above sea level.

All preparations have been completed for welcoming the Secretary General, said Dilip Gurung, the Secretary of the Chhomrong Tourism Committee.

The Annapurna Base Camp is a world-famous and highly rated destination in trekking tourism. The trek around the base of Mt Annapurna is considered as one of the best treks of the world. Mt Annapurna is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 meters (26,545 ft) above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.

The Annapurna started drawing the attention of mountaineers around the world after French climber Maurice Herzog led a French expedition to its summit through the north face in 1950, making it the first eight-thousand-meter peak ever successfully climbed.

Tourists specially from Europe, America, Malaysia, China, Korea come for trekking in the Annapurna Base Camp. 

This area has become a popular trekking destination after the world-renowned trekker Eric Simpton trekked to the Annapurna Base Camp in 1996, one and a half decades after the first ascent of the peak.

A marathon competition is held every year from the Annapurna Base Camp to Ghandruk on the occasion of the Annapurna Ascent Day marking the first ascent of the mountain for highlighting the prestige and significance of Mt Annapurna.

Annapurna Base Camp Trek offers spectacular mountain views and gives the opportunity to experience the typical Nepali village, local people and their way of living traditional life in Himalaya. The Annapurna Base Camp route passes through magnificent and tranquil landscapes, charming Gurung and Magar villages, lush green Rhododendron, bamboo and alpine forests.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is presently on a four-day official visit to Nepal beginning on Sunday, has said the world should learn a lesson from Nepal's homegrown practices for the establishment of peace.

In his address to a program organized at the Pulchowk-based UN Building in Lalitpur today, Guterres said the world should take a lesson from Nepal's homegrown practices for establishing peace, efforts to conclude transitional justice and its contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations.

On the occasion, he urged the UN staff in Nepal to assist Nepal to become competitive and successful in each areas including the socio-economic sector.  He sought the role of UN staff here in Nepal's efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

He made it clear that his Nepal visit is primarily centered on the matters to conclude the peace process, to assist those affected by the impact of climate change and to facilitate Nepal to graduate to a developing country from the category of the least developed country.  He reminded that the interests of survivors be prioritized while taking the transitional justice process to a conclusion.

Expressing his concerns about Nepal bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change including snow melting although it does not have any role in carbon emissions globally, Secretary-General Guterres stressed the need for all stakeholders to take the matter seriously.

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal said all assistance would continue for upgrading Nepal to a developing country and achieving a sustainable peace as per the UN guidelines and recommendations. The UN continues to support Nepal for the implementation of its constitutional rights and the equitable inclusive development, she added.

Guterres arrived in Nepal on Sunday at the invitation of Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal.