Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has departed for Tianjin, China, leading a 23-member Nepali delegation at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.
At Tribhuvan International Airport’s VIP lounge, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, and Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal bade him farewell. High-ranking government officials, chiefs of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, National Investigation Department, and representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu were also present. Prior to departure, a contingent of the Nepal Army offered a guard of honor.
According to the official itinerary, Prime Minister Oli will attend the 80th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony in Beijing on September 3. He will also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin and deliver an address at the SCO Summit on September 1.
Nepal has been a dialogue partner of the SCO since 2016. Established in 2001, the SCO has become one of the world’s largest regional organizations. Its full members include China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. Afghanistan and Mongolia are observers, while Nepal, along with Turkey, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Bahrain, and the UAE, holds dialogue partner status.
During the summit, Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Cambodian Prime Minister Dr. Hun Manet, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. On September 2, he will also meet Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing.
Accompanying the Prime Minister are his spouse Radhika Shakya; Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghujji Pant; Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey; Nepali Congress lawmaker Purna Bahadur Khadka; Prime Minister’s Economic and Development Advisor Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada; UML lawmaker Chhabilal Bishwakarma; and senior government officials.
Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to return to Nepal on September 3 (Bhadra 18).
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