Nepal, Switzerland Hold Bilateral Consultations in Kathmandu

Nepal and Switzerland held the fifth meeting of their Bilateral Consultation Mechanism in Kathmandu on Wednesday, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The talks focused on bilateral cooperation, political and economic developments in Nepal and areas for future collaboration.

Nepal briefed the Swiss side on the priorities of the new government, including governance reforms, anti-corruption measures, transparency, digital transformation and public service delivery.

It also highlighted hydropower, tourism and information technology as key economic sectors.

On the occasion Nepal thanked Switzerland for its continued support in areas including federalism, community forestry, technical and vocational education, migration governance and disaster resilience and called for expanded cooperation aligned with Nepal’s priorities.

The two sides also discussed climate change, multilateral cooperation and pending agreements, agreeing to expedite proposed MoUs.

The Nepali delegation was led by Ganesh Prasad Dhakal, Joint Secretary and head of the Europe Division at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Swiss side was headed by Markus Leitner, head of the Asia and Pacific Division at Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

Swiss delegates later met Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction on the outcomes of the BCM meeting.

The MoU on the establishment of BCM between Nepal and Switzerland was signed on 4 November 2015.