PM Oli leaving for Spain today

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is leaving for Spain leading a Nepali delegation to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development of the United Nations (FFD-4) today.

PM Oli is set to pay the visit at the friendly invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for the FFD-4 to be held in Seville, Spain from coming June 30 to July 3.

Leaders of governments from around the world, global and regional organizations, financial and trade institutions, businesspeople, civil society, and relevant representatives of the United Nations system will participate in this conference on financing for development.

At the event, Nepal will advocate for, raising the voice of least developed, small, and island nations. The conference will also discuss the implementation of investment commitments made by rich countries for poor and small nations.

During the visit, PM Oli would deliver a statement at the conference. The Prime Minister would pay courtesy call on Spain’s King Philip II and his Spanish counterpart Sanchez as well as would hold sideline meeting with leaders of other countries of the world, according to the Foreign Ministry.

PM Oli is leaving for Madrid via Qatar on at 6:00 pm today to participate in the conference. He will return home on July 4.

It is believed that the high-level visit from Nepal would contribute to increase investment from developed countries in Nepal and attract tourists from European countries including Spain.

The 21-member delegation includes First Lady Radhika Shakya, PM’s Chief Advisor, Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Ghan Shyam Upadhyay, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Raj Kumar Shrestha, PM Oli’s Chief Personal Secretary Rajesh Bajracharya, PM’s private doctor Dr Smriti Shakya, among others.

Similarly, additional eight people from Spain and New York would join the Nepali delegation which includes—Nepali Ambassador to Spain, Shanil Nepal, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Lok Bahadur Thapa, among others.