US Congressional delegation led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand met Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba

Kathmandu: A US Congressional delegation led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand paid a courtesy call on Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday and exchanged views on various aspects of bilateral relations, including on institutionalising democracy.

Prime Minister Deuba thanked the US Congress for its continued support to Nepal, specially during the difficult times of the 2015 earthquakes and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement here.

“During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on various aspects of Nepal-United States relations and cooperation. Both sides underscored the importance of parliamentary interactions for the enrichment of the multidimensional Nepal-US friendship,” it said.

Views were also exchanged on institutionalising democracy and cooperation in climate change, the statement said.

Earlier, the visiting US delegation called on Foreign Affairs Minister Narayan Khadka, during which he appreciated the longstanding US cooperation on Nepal’s development endeavours and expressed hope that the visit by the US delegation to the Himalayan nation will contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations.

“The US congressional delegation reaffirmed the commitment to working closely with Nepal on the matters of common interests,” it said.

They discussed ways to further bolster ties, including by addressing the climate crisis & strengthening democratic resilience. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Cory Booker, Representative Mondaire Jones, and Ambassador Randy Berry also joined the meeting and reflected on the broad U.S. – Nepal relationship.