Nepalese Foreign Minister ratifies support for Cuba in its fight against blockade

Havana, September 6 (RHC) The Foreign Minister of Nepal, Arzu Rana Deuba, reiterated the traditional support for Cuba in its fight against the US economic, commercial and financial blockade.

In a meeting with the chargé d'affaires a.i. of Cuba in Nepal, resident in India, Abel Aballe, Deuba thanked the presence of a Cuban medical brigade after the earthquake in Nepal in 2015 and the medical scholarship program of the island government, from which young Nepalese people have benefited.

Both officials highlighted the historical ties of friendship and cooperation between their countries, as well as the common interest in strengthening and diversifying ties.

Aballe was also received by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Sewa Lamsal, and by the Secretary General in charge of Multilateral Issues at the Foreign Ministry, Amrit Bahadur Rai.

Both meetings addressed the desire of Kathmandu and Havana to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation, and on issues of the international agenda, cooperation and exchange in the multilateral space, within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group 77 and China, among others.

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Nepal were established on March 25, 1975. The bilateral ties were further strengthened through the exchange of visits and contacts at various levels in the past, such as that of the late King Birendra to Havana in September 1979 to represent Nepal at the sixth NAM summit.

In 2000, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chakra Prasad Bastola, visited Cuba to attend the First South Summit, and in 2006 the then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, current Head of Government, led his country's delegation to the fourteenth NAM Summit in Havana.

In terms of collaboration, Cuba has offered scholarships to Nepalese students in the fields of culture and sports, engineering, psychology and agriculture to obtain bachelor's degrees. Also, a medical team provided medical treatment to the population of Nepal affected by the 2015 earthquake.

The Kathmandu authorities recognize that trade, tourism and investment between Nepal and Cuba have remained at a very nominal level, and that there are possibilities to further expand cooperation. (Source: PL)