October 29: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Nepal on a four-day official visit. Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud greeted the UN Secretary-General at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu on Sunday. Others present on the occasion were high ranking officials of the Government of Nepal and representatives of the UN Office in Nepal. The Nepalese Army offered a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres.
Guterres' visit to Nepal took place at the invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
On the first day of his visit on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President and PM Dahal at the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The secretary-general will have separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building.
Likewise, Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with Deputy Prime Minister duo, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
Following the meetings, he will observe the Patan Durbar Square, a heritage site of historical and archeological importance.
Prime Minister Dahal will host a banquet reception on Sunday evening in honour of Secretary-General Guterres.
In course of his visit, the Secretary-General will travel to Namche, Pokhara, Annapurna Base Camp and Lumbini on Monday.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, he is scheduled to address a joint session of the federal parliament at 4.00 pm on Tuesday.
Guterres, who is scheduled to visit Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN secretary-general in 2017, will discuss the matters relating to the peace process, sustainable development and climate change, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.
The high-level visit of the UN secretary-general after a hiatus of around 15 years has been taken with importance. -- RSS
