PM terms his Rio trip as successful

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today described his visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development as ‘successful’.

“My visit was essential to garner world support to cope with the nation’s socio-economic and ecological constrains for sustainable development,” Bhattarai told media upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The prime minister said his presence at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (June 20-22) at Rio — as Nepal’s capacity of Chair of Global Coordinating Bureau of Least Developed Countries — ensured to include as many as dozen points relating to the LDCs’s development concerns in the conclave’s conclusive document: The Future We Want.

Besides, the document has mentioned Nepal as mountainous countries’ development concerns and urged for an increased international support and understanding to address their woes, PM said.

His meetings with foreign dignitaries, including Prime Ministers of India, Turkey, Norway and Presidents of Cuba, Peru, Sri Lanka among others were highly successful for the relations of Nepal to these respective countries, he added.

Earlier, opposition political parties as well as a section from the ruling parties had urged Bhattarai not to embark on foreign trips amid political uncertainty back at home. Sister wings of non-ruling parties, including the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had greeted the PM while he was leaving to Rio de on Janeiro on June 18.

Likewise, he also met protests from opposition upon his arrival but there were no black-flag greetings due to heavy presence of security forces around the TIA.

Referring to the protest by some political parties, Bhattarai said, “I have realized that we have to deal with the outer world about our national interest with matured way, avoiding menial internal disputes.”