Kathmandu, January 9

The Government of Nepal has been closely watching recent developments in the Middle East, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

“The region hosts a large number of Nepali migrant workers and therefore security and safety of our people in the region is a matter of serious concern for Nepal. We call upon all sides to exercise restraints from taking actions that could contribute to the escalation of tension and endanger peace and stability in the region,” read a press release issued by the MoFA in reference to the recent tension between the United States of America and Iran.

It has been Nepal’s principled position that all disputes and differences must be resolved through peaceful means, it read.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali held consultation with the stakeholder agencies of the government at his office in Singha Durbar today. The meeting dwelt on the condition of Nepalis working in various countries in the Middle East and present security situation there.

Representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, MoFA, Ministry of Employment and Social Security, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepali Army, Department of Foreign Employment and Department of Immigration attended the meeting chaired by Minister Gyawali.

The meeting decided to form an inter-agency coordination committee headed by the chief of Central Asia, West Asia and Africa Division of the MoFA to closely watch the security situation in the Middle East and take necessary actions for the safety of Nepalis working there.

The committee will comprise representatives from the concerned government agencies which attended today’s meeting.