Austrian Foreign Minister holds bilateral meeting with Gyawali

Kathmandu / Feb 22: Visiting Foreign Minister of Austria Karin Kneissl held bilateral talks with her Nepali counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Friday.

During the meeting held at Hotel Yak and Yeti, the two foreign ministers discussed issues of mutual interests.

Leading a 13-member delegation, the Austrian foreign minister arrived on a three-day official visit to Nepal, on Thursday. This is the first ministerial visit from Australia to Nepal in recent years.

Kneissl also called on Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli today afternoon. Apart from official engagements, the Austrian foreign minister will be addressing a talk program on “60 Years of Nepal-Austria Partnership: Energy, Regional and Global Trends” to be hosted by Institute of Foreign Affairs later today.

Even though the two countries established their diplomatic relations in August 1959, Nepal opened its residential embassy in Vienna in 2017. Austria provided financial assistance to Nepal to develop various development projects in the past. The key areas of bilateral cooperation involved hydro-electricity, conservation of ancient temples, drinking water and eco-tourism development.

Namche Small Hydro Electric Project, Patan Museum, Keshar Mahal Garden of Dreams and Rolwaling eco-tourism are some of the projects completed under the Austria-Nepal cooperation. The two countries have also exchanged high-level bilateral visits in the past. The Austrian foreign minister, who is on her visit to South Asian countries, will be leaving Kathmandu for Bhutan on Saturday.