Hugo Swire, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office responsible for the UK’s relationship with Nepal, will arrive in Nepal on Monday, June 2, 2014.
According to a statement issued by the British Embassy on Sunday, it would be Swire’s first visit to Nepal, and the first by a UK Foreign Office Minister since 2008.
Minister Swire arrives in Nepal accompanied by a UK trade delegation comprised of eight leading British companies active in the infrastructure and education sectors.
During his three-day visit, the Minister will discuss bilateral and international issues with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
He will also meet with a wide range of people from business and politics to discuss ways the UK can help Nepal improve its business environment and boost bilateral trade and investment.
Speaking in London before his departure Minister Swire said: “I am looking forward to my first visit to Nepal, a country which for me, as for many other Britons, has an enduring hold on our imaginations. The reason for my visit is clear: in the run up to the bicentenary of UK-Nepal relations I want to both take stock of and inject energy and vision into this important relationship.”
“That is why I am leading a trade delegation, and want to build a closer relationship that is built firmly around our shared interest in economic growth and our nations’ shared prosperity.”
“I will also take time to recognise and honour our two countries’ rich history and the very special contribution that Nepal made in two world wars and continues to make through ongoing recruitment to the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas, and through the Nepal Army’s important role in UN Peacekeeping Operations.”
“Over my three days in Nepal I also hope to engage in fruitful discussion with Nepal’s leaders, and to underscore the UK’s hope that they will seize the opportunity created by election last year to deliver a lasting political settlement for Nepal – one that will set Nepal firmly on the path to middle income status,” added the minister.
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