Kathmandu, October 7: The third meeting of the bilateral consultation mechanism between Nepal and Russia is being held today.
The meeting is taking place as Nepal and Russia mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The Nepali delegation will be led by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, while the Russian delegation will be headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, who is currently visiting Nepal.
Nepal and Russia signed a protocol on consultations in 1995 with the objective of holding regular consultations and exchanging views on bilateral, regional and international issues. The first meeting of the mechanism was held in Moscow in 2007, while the second meeting took place in Kathmandu on April 17, 2018.
At today’s meeting, the two sides are expected to review the overall state of Nepal-Russia relations and discuss ways to expand cooperation in areas including trade, investment, tourism, education, culture and technical assistance. Regional and international issues, as well as cooperation at multilateral forums, will also be discussed.
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko expressed deep condolences to the Government and people of Nepal over the loss of lives and property caused by floods in the country at an “Open Dialogue” hosted by the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu on Tuesday evening.
He praised Prime Minister Balendra Shah for raising at the United Nations General Assembly the risks Nepal is facing due to climate change, describing the problems associated with climate change as an “alarm bell” for the world. He said Russia was ready to provide assistance within its capacity during the disasters Nepal is facing. Although Russia itself is dealing with various challenges and problems, he said, it was prepared to make every possible effort to provide necessary assistance to Nepal.
At the Open Dialogue, he also informed participants about opportunities for Nepali students to pursue higher education in Russia and said that 52 scholarship quotas would be made available to Nepali students in the coming academic year. Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko described education, culture and people-to-people relations as important foundations of Nepal-Russia relations and expressed Russia’s commitment to continuing cooperation in these areas.
During Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko’s visit to Nepal, the Nepali side is also expected to raise issues concerning the recruitment of Nepali citizens into the Russian military, as well as compensation for the families of Nepalis who have gone missing or died. He also expressed Russia’s commitment to cooperating with Nepal at multilateral forums on matters of regional and international concern. He said Moscow attaches high importance to its diplomatic relations with Nepal.
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