Washington/Kathmandu: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Gyawali have reviewed their bilateral ties, including the ongoing cooperation to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that during the phone call on Wednesday, the two leaders reviewed the USD 7.3 million COVID-19 aid that the US has provided to Nepal, building on the USD 600 million in health programming assistance that Washington has provided to Kathmandu over the past two decades. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Gyawali pledged to remain in contact on issues of mutual concern, she said.
The telephonic conversation came at a time when hectic discussions are going on within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on whether the country should accept a USD 500 million grant under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the US government. A section of the ruling party has strongly opposed the US assistance, alleging that it is linked to the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the US government aimed at cornering China.
According to a statement by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the two leaders shared experiences in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and also offered sympathies and condolences on the loss of human lives due to the pandemic”.
They discussed the importance of development partnership between the two countries.
Minister Gyawali appreciated the support provided by the US to Nepal’s health sector among others through the projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pompeo assured Nepal of continued US cooperation. (PTI)
