KATHMANDU, March 2: US Secretary of State Anthony J Blinken has called on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to discuss Russia's invasion against Ukraine ahead of the scheduled debate and voting in the special UNGA session on the Ukraine crisis.
Secretary of State Blinken in a tweet said he had a call with Prime Minister Deuba to discuss Russia's unprovoked attack and the support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity on Tuesday night.
US Secretary Blinken calls PM Deuba, discusses MCC
Prime Minister Deuba said they discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and their support for Ukraine's sovereignty. He said that Nepal supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Nepal has stood against Russia in the UN Human Rights Council and spoken against Russia's unprovoked, unjustified and premeditated attack on Ukraine in UNGA special session. Nepal has univocally highlighted the importance of respecting the UN Charter's principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of UN member states.
The US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the conversation also dwelled on the implementation of MCC projects in Nepal. Blinken highlighted that the year 2022 marks 75 years of the bilateral relations between Nepal and the United States. Blinken noted that Nepal's decision to move forward with the Millennium Challenge Corporation(MCC) would allow the electricity transmission and road project to create jobs, infrastructures and improve lives of the Nepali people.
According to Spokesperson Price, Blinken also agreed to strengthen efforts to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic and jointly work towards addressing the impacts of climate change.
Taking to twitter, Deuba said the discussion was focused on Nepal's poverty alleviation, development and issues related to climate change. "We appreciate 75 years of continued US support for our progress," he wrote.
