UN Secretary-General Guterres Nepal Visit: High-level meetings planned for Sunday

Kathmandu: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is busy with his four-day official visit to Nepal.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ invited Secretary-General Guterres for the visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud will greet the UN Secretary-General at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu.

On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to have a courtesy call on President Ramchandra Paudel at the Office of the President and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ at the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Secretary-General will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneswor-based Federal Parliament Building. Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minster duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayankaji Shrestha.

Following the meetings, he will observe Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance. Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honor of Secretary-General Guterres. In the course of his visit, the Secretary-General will move to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address the joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. Guterres who is scheduled to visit Nepal first after assuming the UN Secretary-General post in 2017 will discuss on the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

The upcoming high-level visit of the UN Secretary-General taking place after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance