KATHMANDU, JUNE 1

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has said the long-standing friendly relations between Nepal and Israel are getting better.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Embassy of Israel in Nepal and the BP Museum Committee at Sundarijal on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Minister Karki referred to the bilateral relationship established during the tenure of the first elected Prime Minister BP Koirala.

'Although establishing relations with Israel was a challenging task during that time, Prime Minister Koirala triumphed owing to proper understanding of the situation then,' said Minister Karki.

Israel continues to remain an attractive destination for Nepali students and youths, especially in the field of agriculture.

Also speaking on the occasion, former foreign minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said Nepal had been supporting Israel's independence, sovereignty and security for long. He expressed commitment to continue to hold same position in the days to come.

On the occasion, former foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali stressed the need to further strengthen the 60-year-old bilateral ties between Nepal and Israel.

Likewise, former Tourism Minister Hisila Yami said the role of the first elected Prime Minister BP Koirala was important in maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel. She said Nepal should follow the example of Israel as it had made progress in many areas.

Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Hanan Goder said BP, the first elected prime minister of Nepal, had written a novel on Hitler and the Jews, and that his commitment was to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

Former Nepali ambassador to Israel Anjan Shakya said BP was an ideal personality of Nepal and even though the world had different views, he had established diplomatic relations by accepting Israel's independent existence on behalf of Nepal.

Diplomatic relations were established between Nepal and Israel on 1 June 1960. On the occasion, Museum Committee Chair Parshuram Pokharel said BP had to spend more than eight years in Sundarijal jail owing to the relationship established with Israel.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 02, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.