Kathmandu, April 21

The Embassy of France and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly hosted an official function to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between Nepal and France.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali represented the Government of Nepal on the occasion. The goodwill Ambassador for the 70th anniversary,  Shrinkhala Khatiwada, senior government officials, members of the diplomatic community, civil society and media were present on the occasion.

In their remarks, French Ambassador to Nepal  François-Xavier Léger  and the goodwill ambassador highlighted how Nepal-France relations were deeply rooted and enriched by people-to-people contacts and interactions.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Gyawali stressed on cultural contacts and people-to-people relations which, he said, were nurtured by mutual love and goodwill prevalent at the grassroots level of the two societies. He also talked about collaborations at multilateral forums, political contacts and economic aspects of Nepal-France relationship.

The programme also featured a musical performance by Singhini Concert with Franck Bernède on cello, Santosh Bhakta Shrestha on esraj and Bidur Rajkarnikar on tabala, according to a release by the French embassy.