‘US willing to work with new govt’

Feb 3, 2018-A senior United States government official has remarked that the US was looking forward to working with the new government of Nepal in its quest for development and prosperity.

Alice G. Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia of the US, in an interview with BBC Nepali Service in London, said that Nepal has become an example nation in terms of its efforts towards democratic process and the US was willing to work with the new government.

As the recently concluded federal parliamentary and provincial assembly elections in Nepal have mandated the left alliance of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) to form the new government, Wells said that the US does not view the outcome of elections as anti-America. “We look forward to work with the legitimate government of Nepal,” she said.

“Nepal is viewed as a leader nation that is committed towards its democratic institutions. We praise Nepal’s success in concluding elections in trustworthy and transparent manner. We will work with the new government keeping in consideration the mutual values our people share,” Wells said.

This is the first time a senior US diplomat has publicly stated that US was keen to work with the new government of left alliance in the offing.

Wells also said that the US has been a longstanding partner to Nepal’s development and is consistently supporting development projects in Nepal. Millennium Challenge Corporation compact of the US has provided a grant of $500 million (approximately Rs51.5 billion) to accelerate economic growth of the country, Wells said.

Likewise, she also stressed on the need to further increase the military coordination among the two countries. She said that the US has put the assistance and coordination between the US and Nepal army in its priority.

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too congratulated the PM-in-waiting KP Sharma Oli over telephone and expressed his willingness to work with the new government of Nepal. India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj too visited Nepal on behalf of Modi to congratulate political leaders for concluding the elections.

Many countries across the globe including China and European Union have congratulated Nepal for successfully conducting the federal and provincial elections but India and US are the first ones to say that they are looking forward to work with the new government. The US and Indian support can be viewed as an encouraging move to the new government and Nepali people, according to observers.

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Published: 03-02-2018 12:54


source: kathmandupost.ekantipur.com