KATHMANDU, AUGUST 25

The fifth meeting of Nepal-Thailand Joint Commission was held virtually today.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Thani Thongphakdi led their respective delegations to the meeting.

During the meeting, the two sides took stock of the overall state of bilateral relations between Nepal and Thailand and exchanged views on further promoting cooperation between the two countries. The two sides discussed the challenges posed by the COVID on the lives of peoples of both the countries and agreed to work together in combating the pandemic.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal thanked the Royal Family of Thailand, Thai Foreign Ministry, Veerapuchong Foundation and Royal Thai Monastery, Lumbini, for providing Nepal with medical equipment and supplies to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On the occasion, a wide range of issues pertaining to Nepal-Thailand relations, including technical cooperation, trade and investment, tourism and culture, people-to-people contacts and education were discussed.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal underscored the need to enhance economic engagements between the two countries and also apprised the Thai delegation about the policy, legal, institutional and procedural reforms undertaken by the Government of Nepal with a view to create an enabling environment for foreign investment in the country.

As per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation at the regional level through BIMSTEC and other international organisations.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 26 2021, of The Himalayan Times.