PM Oli returns home after attending SCO Summit

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli returned to Nepal today after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in China.

Oli led a 23-member Nepali delegation to Tianjin on August 30 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the visit, he held a bilateral meeting with President Xi and addressed the summit. Nepal has been a dialogue partner of the SCO since 2016.

Established in 2001, the SCO is 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 hold observer status, while Nepal is among 14 dialogue partner countries, along with Turkey, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Oli met with several global 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 Phạm Minh Chính. He also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on Tuesday.