Meeting between Prime Minister TAKAICHI and the Rt. Hon. Mr. Paudel, President of Nepal (Summary)

On February 3, commencing at 6:40 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with the Rt. Hon. Mr. Ramchandra Paudel, President of Nepal, who is on an Official Working Visit to Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows:

1.  At the outset, Prime Minister TAKAICHI welcomed President Paudel’s visit to Japan and stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal, and that she would like to further strengthen bilateral relations on this occasion. In response, President Paudel expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome extended by Japan and stated his desire to deepen the friendly relations between the two countries, which have spanned more than 70 years, across all areas.

2.  Prime Minister TAKAICHI noted that Japan and Nepal have built friendly relations based on a long history of people-to-people exchanges, including student exchanges and mountaineering exchanges. President Paudel welcomed the promotion of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

3.  Prime Minister TAKAICHI also stated that stability in Nepal is important for Japan as well in ensuring regional stability as a whole, and from this perspective, emphasized the importance of Nepal’s general election scheduled to be held on March 5 this year to be conducted in a free, fair, and inclusive manner with broad participation by the people of Nepal. She further stated that Japan will continue to support the consolidation of democracy in Nepal and cooperate for Nepal’s development.

4.  In response, President Paudel expressed his gratitude for the support extended thus far by the people of Japan for the stability and development of Nepal.