KATHMANDU: Newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said ambassadors to various nations including neighbours India and China would be appointed soon.

Speaking with journalists in Kathmandu a day after his appointment, he said the government was trying to appoint the ambassador to India before Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to the southern neighbour in mid-September.

"We will appoint ambassadors to both India and China," he said, "We will also appointment (ambassadors) to other nations."

While the Nepali mission in Beijing is headless since the tenure of Ambassador Mahesh Maskey was over some weeks ago, the New Delhi-based Embassy also does not have its chief as the then Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyaya was recalled by the erstwhile CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli-led government.

Meanwhile, the new minister said Nepal would try to take benefits from economic progresses made by its two neighbours - India and China.

"Our priority is," he said, "to develop relations based on trust, thereby addressing concerns of the neighbours while keeping Nepal's general national interests intact."

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress leader reiterated that security and welfare of Nepalis living abroad for various reasons would also be his priorities while in office.

Mahat said he had a plan to ensure that Nepali missions in the Gulf would stay active for protection of its citizens.

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