Canada opens consulate in Kathmandu

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    KATHMANDU, Sept 4 :

    Flag-Pins-Nepal-CanadaCanadian Ambassador to Nepal Stewart Beck has said that the decision of his government to close the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) office in Kathmandu won´t affect the cooperation between the two countries.

    Addressing a press conference organized to announce the opening of Canada´s Consulate Office in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Ambassador Beck, who is based in New Delhi, said though there is now no bilateral program Canada continues to provide assistance to Nepal at a multilateral level. “Ours is a 47-year-old relationsship. We will be present in Nepal in different ways,” said the envoy.

    As part of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan announced in the Government of Canada´s 2012 budget, Canada decided in February to wind down its direct country-to-country bilateral development assistance for Nepal.

    Ambassador Beck said Nepal and Canada can cooperate in different fields including hydropower generation–something Canada has expertise in, and it has also worked in the sector in neighboring India. He said there is also great potential for the two countries to work together in urban planning, transport management and investment in various sectors in Nepal.

    Ambassador Beck also announced the appointment of Dr Buddha Basnyat as Canada´s Honorary Consul in Nepal. “As Honorary Consul, Dr Basnyat will represent the government of Canada in Nepal. The consulate will provide consular services to Canadians in Nepal,” he said. While 1,300 Nepalese nationals immigrated to Canada in the year 2012 alone, the number of Nepalese already settled in Canada over the past 10 years has reached 11,000. The Consulate Office is expected to help distressed Canadian nationals visiting or living in Nepal.

    A medical doctor by profession, newly-appointed Honorary Consul Dr Basnyat is Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Nepal and is also Medical Director for the Nepal International Clinic and the Himalayan Rescue Association. “Dr Basnyat´s wealth of experience, his medical background and his broad network of contacts, position him well to represent Canada´s interests in Nepal and to deliver consular services to Canadians, whether they are visiting or living in Nepal,” he said.

    Source : Republica