US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephonic conversation with Nepal's newly appointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as he starts his two-day visit to neighbouring India.
"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today. Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Deuba emphasised the importance of the US-Nepal partnership and discussed the recent US donation of 1.5 million vaccines and other COVID-19 assistance to Nepal. The Secretary and the Prime Minister also discussed our cooperation to combat the effects of climate change," Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
US Secretary of State, Blinken landed in New Delhi for a two-day visit in which he is set to discuss with Indian officials issues related to bilateral relations, the situation in Afghanistan, and other regional matters including, Pakistan sponsored terrorism and Indo-Pacific.
During the conversation, US State Secretary and Nepali Premier discussed matters of common interest, as per the release from Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Secretary of State extended warm congratulations to the Prime Minister on his appointment. Matters of bilateral relations and cooperation, including the priority issues of the day, such as, COVID-19 vaccine cooperation and assistance of medical equipment and supplies to Nepal were discussed during the conversation," the MoFA said.
The Prime Minister lauded the US Government for the assistance of 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and requested the US Government for further assistance of appropriate vaccines to cover the children and younger population in order to better prepare for the prevention of widely speculated third wave of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister thanked the US Government for continued cooperation in the socio-economic development of Nepal. The conversation also covered various areas of Nepal's development priorities, the United States' cooperation and the MCC.
"The two sides discussed about the issue of global warming and climate change and its impact on the economies of climate vulnerable mountainous countries like Nepal. The Prime Minister asked the Secretary of State to convey his greetings and best wishes to President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed his willingness to work closely with the Biden administration," the release stated.
( With inputs from ANI )
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