Kathmandu, 4 February: His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh of the United Kingdom, who is on a visit to Nepal, has paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Poudel. The President’s Office has stated that during the courtesy call held at the Presidential Palace, Sheetal Niwas, they discussed various issues of bilateral mutual interest.
During the meeting, President Poudel said that since climate change is a major concern of the world today, everyone should work together to solve this problem. “Climate change has become a major concern of the world today, Nepal, which has been directly affected by it, has been raising the issue of mountain conservation prominently in various international forums,” said President Poudel’s press advisor Kiran Pokharel, quoting him.
In this context, President Poudel informed that Nepal is going to launch the Sagarmatha Dialogue. He said that the first edition of the forum is going to be organized in Kathmandu from May 16 to 18 on the topic of ‘Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity’.
President Poudel said that visits to Nepal by members of the British royal family at various times have contributed to further strengthening the cordial relations between the two countries. He also recalled the state visits to Nepal by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1960 and 1986.
“Nepal and the UK have enjoyed close relations for centuries, and I would like to express my gratitude to the UK, which is also an important development partner, for its support for Nepal’s all-round development,” said President Poudel. He expressed his and the Nepali citizens’ and his own personal wishes for the happiness and good health of King Charles.
Britain’s Prince Edward arrived in Kathmandu today for a visit to Nepal with his wife Sophie. The meeting was attended by the British Prince’s wife Sophie and British Ambassador to Nepal Rob Fenn.
On that occasion, HRH Prince Edward expressed his hope that during his visit, he would learn about the impact of climate change on Nepal and the efforts made by Nepal to mitigate it. He expressed his hope that during his visit, he would be able to understand the impact of climate change on the Himalayas.
Stating that efforts are being made to visit Nepal by members of the British royal family and that he is very happy to be here, the Crown Prince expressed the view that the issue of youth and women empowerment will be more relevant in the future exchange of cooperation between Nepal and Britain. He expressed gratitude for Nepal’s approval for recruitment in the British Army and mentioned that the relationship between the British Gurkha soldiers is a milestone in the harmonious relations between Nepal and Britain.
‘British-Gurkha’ an important link in bilateral relations
On the same occasion, Major General Gerald Strickland, Chief of the British Army’s ‘Gurkha Brigade’, presented the ‘Brigade of Gurkha”s’ annual report for the year 2024 to President Poudel.
President Poudel expressed gratitude to the British government for presenting the report and said that the ‘British-Gurkha’ is an important link in the bilateral relationship. “British-Gurkha is an important link in our bilateral relationship, and it has also made a significant contribution to further strengthening people-to-people relations,” President Poudel had said.
He expressed confidence that positive discussions are underway in the ‘bilateral mechanism’ formed to address some of the legitimate grievances of former British Gurkhas.
