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Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, who is currently on an official visit to the United States of America, continued the official engagements on the third day of the visit by meeting Senator Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday.

During the meeting with a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, the Minister discussed various aspects of the Nepal-US bilateral relations, emphasizing the importance of exchange of parliamentary experiences between the two nations, according to the Nepali Embassy in Washington DC.

It may be noted that Hollen had visited Nepal last September and he had a significant role in drafting the bill relating to the Temporary Protected Status targeting the Nepali community in the US. He is regarded as an influential democratic leader and represents Maryland in the US Senate.   

Nepal's Ambassador to the US Shreedhar Khatri and Deputy Chief of the Mission Kumar Kharel among others were also present in the meeting.

The United States of America has requested Nepal to become a member of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

Till now, more than 55 countries have joined the OGP. At a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud at Washington, DC, USAID Administrator Samantha Power discussed the matter.

It is not clear how Nepal reacted to the US offer. USAID Spokesperson Jessica Jennings said: Administrator Power reinforced the US government’s partnership to further strengthen the relationship with Nepal and recognized Nepal’s democratic progress, including potential membership in the Open Government Partnership.

During the conversation, the duo discussed the impact of USAID’s long-standing investment in Nepal and discussed the new development priorities.  According to the spokesperson, Administrator Power expressed commitment to advancing Nepal’s inclusive economic development and highlighted USAID’s work with the Nepal government and private sector to unlock the country’s investment potential. After the bilateral talks with his American counterpart, Foreign Minister NP Saud is holding talks with heads of USAID, MCC and other development agencies.

Saud also held a meeting with US International Development Finance Corporation's CEO Scott Nathan where he highlighted the measures taken by Nepal to enhance private investment in various sectors of the economy and urged DFC to encourage the American private sector to invest in Nepal.  

CEO Nathan said DFC wants more projects in Nepal, including in infrastructure development, energy, and agro-business, apart from its current involvement with SMEs. He noted that DFC is not only involved in financing, but also helps to create the ecosystem for private-sector development.

Minister Saud also participated in a talk program titled Nepal’s Foreign Policy Outlook hosted by the United States Institute of Peace. Speaking about Nepal’s foreign policy orientation, Minister Saud stressed Nepal’s pursuit of an independent foreign policy which is based on the Charter of the United Nations, non-alignment, and principles of Panchasheel. “Our conduct of external relations is based on a balanced and independent outlook, which is rooted in the historical fact that we were among the few countries that always remained independent, free from any colonial rule,” he said.

Highlighting Nepal’s political transformation of historic proportions, the Minister said, “We ended armed conflict in the country by establishing a home-grown peace process tailored to our requirements. We were able to settle differences by making a democratic constitution. That happened in Nepal. In the country of the Buddha, peace prevailed; democracy prevailed. In this journey, the support from our partners like the USA was important.”

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli said that the peace process should be concluded by keeping the victims at center.

Talking to mediapersons after the tea reception organized at the party office in Chayasal, Lalitpur on Wednesday, he said that the UML is ready to conclude the peace process.

The former prime minister said that transitional justice issues should be addressed by respecting the verdict of the court on the basis of consensus.

“The peace process should be concluded by keeping the victims at center. The peace process should be concluded by respecting the verdict of the Supreme Court. The suggestions given by the international community should also be taken into account,” leader Oli said.

Earlier this morning, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal held a meeting with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Chairman Oli to discuss the transitional justice issues.

Soon after the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the joint session of the Federal Parliament, Prime Minister Dahal had said that some friends had briefed the peace process wrongly.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba among other leaders attended a tea reception hosted by the CPN-UML on the occasion of the Dashain, Tihar, Nepal Sambad and Chhat festivals on Wednesday.

Chairman KP Sharma Oli among other party leaders welcomed Prime Minister Dahal and former Prime Minister Deuba to the reception organized at the party central office in Chyasal, Lalitpur.

Similarly, House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Devraj Ghimire, CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Jhalanath Khanal, CPN (Maoist Center) leader Janardan Sharma, Rastriya Janamorcha's Chair Chitra Bahadur KC, Communist Party of Nepal's Netra Bikram Chand and other leaders from various political parties and people from different walks of life attended the reception.