PM Oli leaves for Turkmenistan

Kathmandu, Aug 4: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli left here for Turkmenistan last midnight, leading a Nepali delegation to attend the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakashman Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Foreign Minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey saw off the PM at the VVIP Lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).  

The Chief Secretary of the government, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) and chiefs of other security bodies were also present on the occasion. 

On the occasion, PM Oli was accorded a guard of honour by the Nepal Army at TIA. 

According to the Foreign Ministry, PM Oli is visiting Turkmenistan at the official invitation of President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres. 

The conference is scheduled to take place in the City of Awaza there on August 5-8.

During the conference, PM Oli is scheduled to address the programme in the capacity of Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of Least Developed Countries. 

Similarly, the Prime Minister would co-chair one of the high-level roundtable meetings and also deliver remarks at various programmes. On the sideline of the conference, PM Oli will hold bilateral talks with heads of the delegation from various countries, as well as high-level office-bearers of the UN and other international organisations. 

PM Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Federal Parliament Member Surya Bahadur Thapa Kshetree, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, and senior government officials. 

PM Oli is scheduled to return home on August 8. 

Altogether 32 Landlocked Developing Countries from Asia, Europe, Africa and South America would attend the conference where discussions on direct sea access, hurdles facing the landlocked nations and benefits to be taken from the world markets are expected. 

The landlocked developing countries, lacking direct sea access, face hurdles in trade, connectivity, and development and without coastal ports, they rely on transit nations, causing higher trade costs and delays, the UN observes.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the conference is expected to discuss the issues of capacity building of the landlocked developing countries.  

The second UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries was held in Vienna, Austria, in 2014 and the first one in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2003.(RSS)