MoFA celebrates Foreign Affairs Service Day, honours veterans

By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, May 26: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has celebrated the first Foreign Affairs Service Day 2022 on Tuesday. 

At a special programme organised at the multipurpose building of the ministry at Tripureshwor in Kathmandu, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Narayan Khadka, honoured the senior officials who had served at the ministry in and before 1961. 

Dr. Khadka honoured Hari Prasad Pokharel, Yogendra Nath Ojha, Narayan Prasad Rajbhandari (Chittaranjan Nepali), and Narsingh Mansingh Pradhan from the early breed of the professionals in the foreign service. 

Likewise, Yadav Kanta Silwal, Gowardhan Bikram Shah, Shiva Ram Sharma and Ganesh Man Shrestha were also facilitated on the occasion. 

However, Narayan Prasad Aryal, Bishwo Pradhan and Bindeshwori Malla Shah couldn't make it to the event. Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Poudyal will make visits to their residences to offer the felicitation, announced the ministry. 

The celebration was made to mark the Nepal Foreign Service (Formation and Classification) Rules, 1961. The MoFA said that May 24 will be celebrated every year as the Foreign Service Day in remembrance of the day when the Foreign Service was legally codified in Nepal.

Minister Dr. Khadka said that it was the day to bring back the memories and an opportunity to face the live history. 

He said that institutions must be strengthened in a way they could cater to the national interest. "Foreign service is a dynamic concept and we need to continuously refine and redefine its elements, programmes and impacts," he said. 

Foreign Secretary Poudyal said that celebration of the day and felicitation of the veterans of the profession would motivate and inspire young professionals to join foreign service as their career.

Meanwhile, FM Dr. Khadka inaugurated the Passport Museum at the multipurpose building following the programme.