KATHMANDU: The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, called on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on the sideline of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which is underway in Scotland.

PM Deuba is in Glasgow, Scotland, in connection with attending the two-day World Leaders Summit under COP26.

Deuba has held discussions with US president Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Srilankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, UN General Secretary António Guterres, and others.

During the meeting, PM Deuba committed to the Paris Agreement and way towards a sustainable future for all and a strong bilateral relationship.

In the meeting held on November 2, the second day of the Summit, the UK Defence Minister held discussions with PM Deuba regarding the ex-Gurkha soldiers’ complaints and welfare as well as British support of vaccines against COVID-19, said Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Poudyal, who was also present during the talks.

Before this, Prime Minister Deuba attended a reception organized by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the First Minister of Scotland in honor of limited Head of State and Government.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Deuba, addressing the high-level program on forest and land use management as a distinguished panelist, said Nepal has an interest in the voluntary carbon trading market and forest as an instrument for reducing carbon emission, Pem Narayan Kandel, Secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, who was present in the meeting, said.

World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, Mari Pangestu also met with Prime Minister Deuba and discussed topics including the WB’s support to Nepal in green development, reducing climate change effects, and prevention of COVID-19, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini, who was also present in the meeting, said.

Similarly, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)’s Deputy CEO Alexia Latortue had called on Prime Minister Deuba and the two discussed the MCC Compact grants given to Nepal.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Deuba had a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mongolia’s President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

International Maritime Organisation Secretary-General Kitack Lim also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Deuba and matters about the possibility of job opportunities for Nepali in the marine sector were discussed during the meeting.

On the first day of the Summit on November 1, the Prime Minister had addressed the event on behalf of Nepal. Heads of State and government heads of 117 countries had addressed the Session.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh, Scotland at 10:30 am (local time) on November 3 and address a gathering there.

On this occasion, he will plant a tree in the Nepali garden.

The Prime Minister’s delegation is scheduled to leave for home from Edinburgh Airport today via Qatar. He had landed in the UK last Friday night, leading a Nepali delegation to the Conference. The COP 26 kicked off at Glasgow on October 31 will run till November 12.
(Bhishma Raj Ojha/RSS)