US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has met with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, President of CPN-Maoist Center, who is also a former Prime Minister. They met at Khumaltar, Dahal's residence.
According to President Dahal's secretariat, Dahal expressed confidence that Lu's visit to Nepal would be fruitful. Dahal mentioned that there is a long-standing relationship between Nepal and America. He expressed his belief that such visits and meetings will further strengthen mutual relations. Maoist Deputy General Secretary Varshaman Pun also participated in the meeting. Dahal thanked the US for its support for Nepal's economic development. He said that he will proceed with everyone's cooperation and goodwill.
While mentioning that Nepal is trying to move forward on the path of economic prosperity, President Dahal said that the cooperation and harmony of the international community, including the United States, will be important in this, according to the secretariat. "We have adopted a policy of emphasizing energy and tourism development based on agriculture," he said. For this, the support and investment from the international community is important.
Dahal informed that Nepal's peace process has started to be fundamentally completed with national consensus. In addition, he thanked the international community for its cooperation in the peace process. Dahal added, "We are concluding the peace process in Nepal with a national consensus, not as a majority and a minority or as a ruling party and opposition. This is a matter of happiness not only for us but also for the international community that wants peace and stability." The way the international community has welcomed the passage of the TRC Bill has made us happy.
Dahal mentioned that Nepal is deeply concerned about the tension in the international arena and said that they are sensitive to the impact it may have on Nepal. Dahal said that the incident of Nepali youth Bipin Joshi still missing is a matter of concern for Nepal. He said that it was good to receive information from the Israeli side that Joshi was alive recently and the attention of the international community should be taken for Joshi's release as soon as possible.
American Assistant Minister Lu said that the progress of Nepal is a matter of happiness for them and they will increase all kinds of cooperation and goodwill, according to the Secretariat. Lu expressed his happiness that Nepal's peace process has been concluded for national consensus and said that this is good news for the international community. He said that not only the US government but also the American people are helping for the development of Nepal while mentioning that the US is continuously supporting Nepal for its economic development.
