KATHMANDU, June 29 : Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Gyawali has said there is no border dispute between Nepal and China.

Taking special time in a meeting of the National Assembly (NA) today, the Minister said some media disseminated’fake news’ mentioning about China’s encroachment on Nepal’s territory. He urged media not to publish such news which would affect the bilateral relations. As he said, the government is studying about the source of such news. ”Misinformation will mislead us, so let’s not entertain such stuffs,” he said urging media to be careful while covering sensitive issues and not to give space to stuffs capable of jeopardising the cordial relations existing between the countries. Nepal and China face no border disputes, according to him.

As he said, both countries have signed a peace and friendship border treaty and both parties are agreed to inspect the bilateral border points in every ten years. During the third border inspection, it was decided to place border pillars for the clarity of border demarcation. Preparations are on to resolve the issue on tri-juncture towards the west.

Nepal Communist Party’s Ram Narayan Bidari, Prakash Pantha of Nepali Congress and Socialist Party’s Pramila Kumari suggested actions against any undue moves capable of jeopardising the friendship between two countries. They also inquired about the state of country’s diplomatic relations with India in the aftermath of publication of the country’s revised political and administrative map.
In response to suggestions, the Minister said lawmakers’ statement in the parliament should be based on facts. Misinformation may appear in media time and again, but such lawmakers presenting views just being merely based on such reports without further study on the issue and verification will not end in a positive note, according to him.

He went on to say the government was in constant touch with India to resolve the disputes emerged after Nepal published the updated map and both countries have good relations. ”We are confident that the dispute would be resolved through diplomatic efforts. No move capable of causing implication on Nepal-India multi-dimensional relations will be taken. The government is aware of any untoward tension between the two neighbors and support from all quarters are required for the same.”RSS

KATHMANDU, March 31: Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali has said that Nepal is being visible in the international arena in the latest period.

Speaking at a special function organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal on its 21^st anniversary at the Rastriya Sabha Griha on Sunday, Minister Gyawali said, “End of the elongated transitional period, peace process, institutionalized inclusive, development-oriented and progressive democracy and the determination to journeying toward prosperity has attracted the attention of the world.”

“In the past years, Nepal used to be known as a land of conflict and political instability. But now the situation has changed,” he added.

“The foreign investors and entrepreneurs participated in the Nepal Investment Summit 2019, held from March 29-31, have interpreted Nepal as the rising star of South Asia.”

“Nepal is being visible to the world,” he added.

On the occasion, he lauded Reporters’ Club’s role in providing the stage for attaining development goals.

He also congratulated the club on its 21^st anniversary and extended best wishes.

KATHMANDU, March 29: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, has said that the government has created environment conducive for investment in the country in order to attract foreign investors. Chairing the first session on ‘Investment Opportunities in Nepal’ under the Nepal Investment Summit 2019, Foreign Minister Gyawali said that Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Public Private Partnership Act and laws related to investment have been given completion in course of creating investment-friendly environment.

He said that Nepal is a virgin land for investment, clarifying investment-friendly act, hardworking youths and favorable political environment would make it easy for domestic and foreign investors to invest in Nepal.

Saying a one-point service center has been established for facilitating investors as well as policy and procedure-level facilitation has been made, the Foreign Minister presented the fact that environment has been created where projects above 200 mega watt and above Rs 6 billion can be invested easily.

Minister Gyawali said that an arrangement has been made to register companies and to pay revenue through online, adding that all types of services would be provided in an easy and smooth manner. “I believe that the summit will create significant opportunities for investors,” he said.

Presenting the projects, Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Lal Shanker Ghimire, said that one can invest in road network, railway, energy, agriculture and tourism sectors without any doubt. He said agreement regarding dual tax exemption has been signed with 11 countries and an agreement has been recently signed with Bangladesh in this regard.

Secretary Ghimire said that the government has set a target to transform Nepal into a middle-income within 2030 and added that Nepal is the appropriate place for investment due to young human resources, easy access to market and international privileges received by the countries having low income.

Similarly, former President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Suraj Vaidya, said that construction works of Arun III hydropower project have been started and added that preparation of detailed project report of solar project of 200 megawatt and 85-kilometer Pokhara-Muktinath cable car was underway. RSS

TAMGHAS, March 8: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, has said crime on innocent citizen under any political veil would not be tolerable to the government.

Hitting out at the Biplav-led Maoist party, he said that group was hoarding illegal weapons and playing with the innocent people through this. He said it was illegal to collect arms and ammunition in this way.

“It is the government’s main responsibility to maintain law and order in the country by stopping the violence to the country and people done in the name of any group.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Gyawali said so while addressing the press conference organised by Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Gulmi at Tamghas, the headquarters of Gulmi district, on Friday.

Resorting to violence as a means of extortion is not at all appropriate and this is a wrong way, he said and urged the Biplav group o rethink about it well in time.

“Political demands should be placed politically, not by resorting to criminal activities,” he warned.

On the topic of the court verdict sentencing Resham Chaudhari, one of the main accused in the infamous Tikapur riot, to life imprisonment, Minister Gyawali said it is the duty of all to accept the court decision.

Eight security personnel and a two-year-old child were killed in 2015 in the rioting that took place in Tikapur of Kailali district in far-west region in the run-up to the constitution promulgation.

The present government is for taking all sides together for resolving the country’s problems, he asserted. Minister Gyawali urged the journalists to make constructive criticism of the government and not to do anything spreading despondency among the people. RSS

KATHMANDU, May 12: Minister for foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali has said that the Indian Prime Minister’s State visit to Nepal was historic and successful.

Talking to media persons after seeing off PM Modi at Tribhuvan International Airport this evening, FM Gyawali added that the visit will further strengthen the bilateral ties and will concretize the past bilateral agreements.

He also shared that a time frame has been set to forward the various projects including those related to railway, water way and other areas by upcoming September. The visit also promoted religious and cultural sites including Janakpur and Muktinath.

Kathmandu: Leaders of Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (UML) have rejected the UCPN (Maoist) along with few other parties’ demand of forming a probe committee, terming the vote rigging allegation by the defeated parties as an ‘imaginary’.

Speaking at a face-to-face interaction programme organised by Reporters Club Nepal under the presidency of its president Rishi Dhamala in capital today, the influential leaders of two major parties-NC and UML- have advised the parties dissatisfied with the polls to knock the doors of the Constitutional Assembly court, which has been constituted to resolve the electoral disputes. Terming the vote rigging allegation by the Maoist ridiculous, he accused the UCPN (Maoist) of vote rigging in the constituency that it has won.

UCPN (Maoist) has option to go to the Constituent Assembly court if it has any evidences of the vote rigging, Dr Mahat opined.

He also rejected the recent demand floated by the UCPN (Maoist) to amend the constitution for adopting consensual politics.

“People have given the mandate for writing new constitution, but not to amend the interim constitution. Constitution cannot be amended to fulfill any party’s motive,” he said.

The Maoists are not showing political decency by refusing the people’s mandate despite doing politics in the name of people, leader Mahat noted, stressing that the constitution would be promulgated in line with the people’s mandate which is against ethnic states.

 CPN-UML Publicity Department Chief Pradeep Gyawali underlined the need of forming all-party consensus government till the promulgation of a constitution.

He, however, expressed his doubts that the reinstating the provision of mandatory consensus process in the interim constitution might lead to the loss of achievements made so far.

There is no need to amend the constitution as the Article 38 (1) of the interim constitution has the provision to form government and the constitution keeps the door open for drafting the constitution through consensus, the UML leader said.

The UML’s priority is to form a consensus government and promulgate a constitution within two years by preparing its draft within a year, he added.