Despite being geographically far apart, Nepal and Ireland share striking similarities, particularly as Ireland also experienced a violent conflict in its recent past. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1999, the two countries have engaged in various interactions. While trade remains heavily in Ireland's favor, a significant number of Irish tourists, especially mountaineers, visit Nepal. Irish investment in Nepal, though modest, holds great potential in areas like digital technology, aviation and the pharmaceutical sector. In 2017, the Nepal-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group was established to foster parliamentary exchanges, development cooperation and mutual trust. Against this backdrop, Republica talked to Ireland's Non-Resident Ambassador to Nepal, Kevin Kelly, to discuss the current state of bilateral relations, opportunities to strengthen trade and investment, enhance people-to-people connections and collaborate on global issues such as climate change. Excerpts:
How would you describe the current state of our relations? What areas do you see as having the most potential for growth in the coming years?
Well, Ireland and Nepal are, in different ways, both small countries. Nepal is a bigger country than Ireland in terms of population, but both of us are shaped by the neighborhoods where we live. In Ireland, we have a population of about 5 million, and we're surrounded by big neighbors. We have the United States on one side across the water, and we have Britain on the other side. Nepal, of course, is situated in its own unique neighborhood. Over the years, we’ve maintained a very friendly relationship with Nepal, mostly through interactions at the United Nations in New York.
I know that we have supported Nepal, and Nepal has supported us at various points in terms of multilateral engagement. We have very friendly relations. My objective as Ambassador to Nepal, based in Delhi, is to expand that relationship. I am here this week and have had a series of meetings with government officials, non-governmental organizations, media, and civil society. My goal is to build people-to-people links between our two countries.