Spain, 30 June: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a bilateral meeting in Seville on Sunday evening. The discussion, which lasted for about half an hour, focused on deepening cooperation in areas such as tourism, trade, climate change, and diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Oli, who arrived in Madrid on Sunday morning, traveled to Seville in the afternoon using a state-of-the-art high-speed railway. Representing Nepal in the meeting were Shanil Nepal, Nepal’s Ambassador to Spain, and Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, among others.
Speaking to Onlinekhabar after the meeting, Ambassador Nepal said, “The Honorable Prime Minister mentioned that Nepal has already established an embassy in Spain and requested his Spanish counterpart to open an embassy in Nepal as well.”
Prime Minister Oli also briefed Prime Minister Sánchez about the ‘Sagarmatha Dialogue,’ highlighting Nepal’s leadership and initiatives on climate change. In response, Prime Minister Sánchez appreciated the effort and assured, “We are ready to support Nepal’s voice.”
During the meeting, Prime Minister Sánchez expressed his interest in visiting Nepal, upon which Prime Minister Oli extended an invitation to him. Ambassador Nepal shared that Sánchez said, “The number of Spanish tourists visiting Nepal is increasing every year, and I am hopeful that it will continue to grow.”
This was the first prime minister-level meeting since the establishment of the Nepalese embassy in Spain in 2018.
Here is Monday’s schedule:
Prime Minister Oli is currently on an official visit to Spain to participate in the United Nations’ Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.
On Monday, he addressed the plenary closing session of the ‘Civil Society Forum’ organized under the conference. In his address, he clearly presented Nepal’s stance on issues such as the climate crisis, inclusive development, and financial justice.
Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to hold separate meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Kamal Madbouly, and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro on Monday.
Prime Minister Oli, who arrived in Madrid on Sunday morning, spent about four hours at the Nepalese ambassador’s residence. There, he showed interest in the embassy’s work and celebrated Asar 15 by eating curd and beaten rice (dahi chiura) at the ambassador’s residence.
