KATHMANDU, Oct 26: A US congressional delegation led by Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, held a courtesy meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal on Monday.
The meeting covered Nepal-US bilateral relations, mutual cooperation, economic partnerships, disaster management amid climate change and parliamentary cooperation.
Speaker Aryal said the Nepal government had made every possible effort to respond to the disasters caused by floods in Rasuwa and the Bhotekoshi area. He thanked the US government for its solidarity and support to Nepal during the difficult period.
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Aryal also informed the delegation that an emergency agenda proposed by Nepal at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), recently held in Arusha, Tanzania, had been adopted with more than two-thirds of the votes. The agenda called for urgent parliamentary action to address climate-related disasters and strengthen the resilience of the Himalayan region and other vulnerable areas.
He stressed the need to strengthen international and inter-parliamentary cooperation to reduce disaster-related losses, improve preparedness and build resilience in areas highly vulnerable to climate change. He also said countries with economic and technological capacity should share responsibility and provide support to disaster-prone countries, rather than relying solely on grants.
Aryal said Nepal-US relations should move beyond traditional grant assistance towards greater investment and economic partnership. He added that Nepal was committed to the policy and legal reforms needed to create an investment-friendly environment and boost investor confidence.
The speaker expressed confidence that parliamentary caucuses in the US Congress and the Nepal-US Parliamentary Friendship Group would continue dialogue and cooperation. He said parliamentary visits and exchanges played an important role in strengthening bilateral friendship and parliamentary diplomacy, and thanked the delegation for visiting Nepal.
The US delegation expressed sympathy over the damage caused by floods in Rasuwa and the Bhotekoshi area, paid tribute to those who lost their lives and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families.
The delegation said its visit to Nepal, a country rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage, had been an enriching experience. It described Nepal-US relations as cordial and based on mutual trust, and expressed its willingness to continue supporting Nepal’s economic, social, physical infrastructure and human development, while further strengthening parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries.
The meeting was also attended by the chairpersons of the House of Representatives’ International Relations and Tourism Committee and Parliamentary Hearing Committee.