NEW YORK: High officials of the United Nations (UN) have openly appreciated the contribution made by Nepal in establishing world peace through the UN peacekeeping force.

Under Secretary-General of the UN Department of Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Under-Secretary-General of the UN Peace Operations Coordination Department, Atul Khare praised the Nepali blue helmets working in UN peacekeeping operations for their bravery, professionalism and honesty.

The officials had expressed their appreciation in separate courtesy meetings on Monday with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali who was in New York, the United States to participate in the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Stating that Nepal has given high importance to the UN peacekeeping operations for international peace and stability, Minister Gyawali also expressed Nepal's pledge to always extend cooperation in this task as permitted by its capacity.

"The UN's goals and objectives have been taken as inseparable part of Nepal's foreign policy, as such the peacekeeping operations have been given high priority," the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, adding that Nepal's presence in high levels in the working areas and the headquarters has become inevitable on the basis of its contributions and participation.

Minister Gyawali also informed the undersecretary generals that Nepal was ready to send more security personnel if the UN requests to increase the number of its peacekeeping forces.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bharat Raj Poudyal, Nepal's permanent representative to the UN, Amrit Bahadur Rai, Deputy Permanent Representative of Nepal, Ghanshyam Bhandari, were among the officials present in both the meetings.