Foreign Affairs

The third meeting of the Nepal-France Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was held in Kathmandu on Tuesday. 

The meeting, led by Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sewa Lamsal on the Nepali side and the Director for Asia and Oceania at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Bertrand Lortholary, on the French side, said a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two sides reviewed the overall state of bilateral relations. They discussed ways and means to enhance bilateral trade and investment, transfer of technology and tourism for mutual benefit as well as measures for economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. The centuries-old cultural exchange and the ever-increasing people-to-people contact were also discussed during the meeting.

The Nepali side shared about the country’s graduation from the LDC status in 2026 and the preparation of the transition strategy and requested for the continuation of support measures provided by France as well as the EU in terms of market access and development cooperation.

The meeting adopted the Nepal-France Green Roadmap which emphasises, among other areas, the importance of developing renewable energy projects, investing in low-carbon and resilient infrastructure, protecting forests, acting to prevent natural disasters and incorporating climate change adaptation into national, local and sectoral planning documents.

The two sides also discussed possible cooperation in mutually beneficial areas at the multilateral level.

The Nepali delegation included the officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Forest and Environment as well as Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation while the French delegation included the Ambassador of France in Kathmandu and other officials.

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