KATHMANDU: A delegation of the European Parliament (EP), will arrive in Kathmandu for a two-day visit today.

The visit will contribute to further strengthening relations between the EU and Nepal and exploring ways of stepping up cooperation in the days ahead, a statement issued by the European Commission in Nepal said.

The EP Delegation will be led by Evelyn REGNER (Austria), Vice President of European Parliament, Ulrike MÜLLER (Germany), Tomáš ZDECHOVSKÝ (Czechia) and Maximilian KRAH (Germany).

The EP Delegation will hold a number of meetings with representatives of the main political parties to be briefed on the setting up and functioning of the Federal democracy for the past six years since the promulgation of the Federal Constitution in 2015.

They will meet met with Gagan Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, Pradip Kumar Gyawali, Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist), and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).

The EP Members will also meet with women politicians, leaders of the civil society and journalists, in order to discuss issues related to climate change, gender and social inclusion.

The EP Delegation will also hold separate meetings with Dr. Narayan Khadka, Minister for Foreign Afffairs; Dilendra Prasad Badu, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies; and the Chief Election Commissioner, Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya,

Meanwhile, the EP members will participate in a bicycle ride to mark the ‘World Car Free Day’ on 22nd September.

The ride will take place in the historic Nagbahal in Patan, where they will also participate in a discussion with the members of the Youth Sounding Board on gender, social inclusion and climate change.

The Youth Sounding Board comprises Youth Innovation Lab, Oxfam Nepal and Helvetas Nepal, as well as development partners working with the EU in Nepal.