Post-statute, Koirala to attend UNGA

Kathmandu, September 16

Right after the constitution is promulgated, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala will leave for New York to attend the 70th United Nations General Assembly.

The new constitution is set to be promulgated on September 20.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) today confirmed that the PM will leave for New York on September 23 and return home on October 3.

He is set to address the UN General Assembly on October 1, according to Tara Prasad Pokhrel, Spokesperson at MoFA.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey told The Himalayan Times that he will also be accompanying Koirala to New York, but will return two days after the prime minister.

Officials said Koirala will lead a compact team of close aides, advisers and MoFA officials as well as a team of security and media representatives.

“The promulgation of the new constitution will be the culmination of Nepal’s home-driven peace process and the prime minister’s visit is important to share this achievement with the world,” said an official.

During his stay, Koirala is also likely to undergo follow-up check of his lung-cancer-treatment.

According to the PM’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dinesh Bhattarai, this year’s annual UN General Assembly is quite critical for Nepal and needs to be represented at the highest level.

This year coincides with the 60th anniversary of Nepal’s association with the global body, whose membership Nepal had acquired on December 14, 1955.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is also hosting a global South-South Cooperation Summit in New York on the sidelines, while US President Barack Obama is organising an international conclave on UN Peacekeeping to which Nepal has been a major contributor.

Besides, the dialogue on the post-2015 Development Agenda is also in the list for discussion during this General Assembly.