KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 18
Ambassador and head of the delegation of the European Union to Nepal Nona Deprez expressed satisfaction that the assistance supplied by EU member states to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including equipment and supplies, had reached the far corners of the country in Kalikot, Humla, Manang, Khotang, Solukhumbu, Taplejung, Kanchanpur, and Jhapa.
Addressing a get-together at her residence here today, Ambassador Deprez said that Nepal was one of the countries that had received assistance from a large number of EU member states, showing that Nepal was in the hearts and minds of European citizens. EU member states' assistance comprised ventilators, other respiratory aid machines, personal equipment and tents, among others.
In mid-May 2021, Nepal government requested activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to respond to the COVID-19 situation in Nepal. Deprez said that even when the EU nations were witnessing surge in COVID-19 cases, and other nations were also seeking EU assistance to fight the pandemic, EU assistance started to arrive in Nepal after nine days of activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism with the first assistance coming from Spain followed by France, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Belgium, Malta, Austria, Slovenia and Hungary.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 19, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.