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Nepal PM speaks to US secretary of state Blinken over phone, agrees to deepen bilateral ties

WION
Kathmandu, NepalWritten By: Saloni MurarkaUpdated: Jul 27, 2021, 11:56 PM IST
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Photograph:(WION)

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Anthony Blinken has arrived in New Delhi on a two-day India visit. On Wednesday, Blinken will hold extensive talks with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kuwait

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation on affirming to enhance the bilateral relationship and outlined the cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"It was my pleasure to talk to Secretary Blinken and exchange views on our multifaceted bilateral relations. We renewed the shared commitment to taking forward the cooperative partnership in the interest of our two countries and peoples," Deuba said in a tweet. 

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"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," Nepal Foreign Ministry in a statement said.

The US Secretary of State is on a two-day visit to India, in a tweet said, "I had the pleasure to speak with Nepali Prime Minister Deuba today. We discussed the advancement of the US-Nepal partnership including cooperation on our shared fight against COVID-19 and the effects of climate change."

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Blinken has arrived in New Delhi on a two-day India visit. On Wednesday, Blinken will hold extensive talks with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kuwait.

A statement issued by the US Department of State said the Secretary and the Prime Minister also discussed the cooperation to combat the effects of climate change. 

"Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Deuba emphasized the importance of the U.S.-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," said Spokesperson Ned Price in the statement. 

Earlier, this month, the US had donated 1.53 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal. 

"These vaccines will not only save lives and help Nepal emerge from this pandemic, but they will also help to recover economic losses and regain the opportunity to safely visit with our friends, families, and neighbors," the United States Ambassador Randy Berry had said.