Kathmandu: US Embassy dismisses reports claiming military deal with Nepal. After some news outlets reported on an agreement reached between Nepal and the US army, the US Embassy in Nepal on Tuesday dismissed the reports and said, it is ‘fake’.
In a series of tweets, the embassy said, “The document published in some online outlets that purport to be a military deal between the United States and Nepal is fake. By policy, the United States does not ask countries to join the State Partnership Program and only responds to requests to do so.”
This comes after various local media reported on a possible agreement reached between Nepal and US Army on State Partnership Program (SPP), which has raised controversies.
“The SPP is an exchange program between an American state’s National Guard and a partner foreign country. The U.S. National Guard domestically supports U.S. first responders in dealing with natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and wildfires,” the embassy said.
Stating that SPP has existed for over 25 years and includes over 80 partnerships with over 90 countries, the embassy said, “In the event of natural and other disasters, ranging from hurricanes to earthquakes, floods, and fires, the United States seeks to share the best practices and capabilities of our National Guards — our first-line responders.”
“SPP can be an effective means of facilitating this type of cooperation,” it said.
In their recent engagements here, reports say, the US officials are putting pressure on Nepali counterparts to sign the agreement at the earliest.