Kathmandu, July 19 – The US Ambassador to Nepal, Randy Berry, has said the US government aspires Nepal to be an independent, self-reliant and resilient partner to its neighbor and beyond.
Addressing a seminar organized by the Nepal-U.S. Alumni Network (NUSAN) Regional Connectivity Symposium in association with the American Embassy in Nepal on Friday, the US Ambassador Berry opined that Nepal should reap benefits from its geographical position. He reminded that the US had adopted a multi-pronged approach including both government-to-government and people-to-people connections to give a new dimension to 73-year old Nepal-USA bilateral relations.
The Ambassador further viewed that the Nepali alumni, who travelled to the USA over different periods under different government-funded programmes and scholarships, would provide a critical link between USA and Nepal and bring their expertise back to Nepal which, he believed, would be useful in identifying the policies and strategies that strengthens Nepal’s position as an independent, self-reliant and resilient partner to its regional neigbours and beyond.
The American envoy shared that the US government had been granting Nepal over 200 million dollars every year for the projects ranging from cultural preservation to infrastructure development. He reaffirmed that each such grant was designed to leave Nepal a stronger and more prosperous nation. It was also shared that the American government had provided Rs 62 billion for projects relating to the development and promotion of energy and transportation sectors in Nepal.
Also speaking at the event, former executive director at the South Asia Policy Study Centre, Prof Shreedhar Khatri, asserted that although forums as SAARC, BIMSTEC and BRI had stressed expansion of connectivity, it was not implemented in practice. Stating that BIMSTEC would not be an alternative to SAARC, Khatri expressed his sorrow over the languid regional forum as SAARC which was shadowed by the differences.
He underscored the need for Nepal to take advantages from its immediate neighbours India and China who were taking the lead in the global economy.