Kathmandu, November 1
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed from Kathmandu on Wednesday, concluding his four-day official visit to Nepal.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Purna Bahadur Khadka, bid farewell to him at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport.
During the occasion, senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives from the United Nations Office in Nepal were also in attendance.
A contingent of the Nepal Army provided a guard of honour to Secretary-General Guterres during his farewell.
Upon the invitation extended by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the UN Secretary-General arrived in Nepal on October 28 for his official visit.
The UN Chief had individual meetings with President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal during his visit.
Additionally, he conducted distinct meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, UML Chair and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Deputy Prime Ministers Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha, as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud.
During his time in Nepal, he visited the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp, as well as Pokhara and Lumbini.
He also took the opportunity to explore the historically and archaeologically significant Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur.
Prime Minister Dahal graciously hosted a dinner reception with a cultural program in honour of the Secretary-General. Furthermore, he addressed a joint session of the federal parliament during his visit.
Guterres, who visited Nepal for the first time after assuming the role of UN Secretary-General in 2017, engaged in discussions concerning Nepal’s domestically-led peace process, climate change, and efforts towards poverty alleviation.
His visit has been regarded as a highly significant diplomatic event.
