Kathmandu, May 24
Once again, the government of Nepal has requested the United States government to support the country’s Covid-19 response, by providing vaccines for prevention.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Monday held a telephone conversation with Wendy Sherman, the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America, and requested her to accord due priority to Nepal during the distribution of surplus vaccines among the developing nations.
In response, Sherman assured that the US government would continue to extend cooperation in Nepal’s socioeconomic sector, including the recent fight against the pandemic, the ministry says. Appreciating the friendship the two countries have enjoyed over the decades, she hoped that key projects in the pipeline under US cooperation would open up further avenues of prosperity for Nepal.
Around two weeks ago, Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel had also requested US Ambassador to Nepal, Randy Berry, to provide the vaccine assistance.
The calls come at a time when a group of Nepalis in Nepal and the United States have launched a petition campaign to demand vaccines for Nepal after the US government announced the distribution of 60 million vaccines among various countries in the world.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had said the government had launched efforts to bring some vaccines from the US.
