Qatari Emir Al Thani wraps up Nepal visit, returns home

KATHMANDU: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani returned home wrapping up his two-day state visit to Nepal on Wednesday.

President Ram Chandra Paudel had reached the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to bid farewell to the Qatari Amir.

Also present at TIA to see off the Emir were Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Hit Bahadur Tamang and Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, among other high officials.

A contingent of the Nepali Army offered a guard of honour and fired 21 cannon salvoes on the occasion.

The Qatari Emir had arrived here on Tuesday for the state visit at President Paudel’s invitation. He and President Paudel held talks at the Office of the President, Shital Niwas in the evening the same day. President Paudel hosted a banquet in the Emir’s honour the same evening.

Prime Minister Dahal and the Qatari Emir held a delegation-level meeting today. The two countries signed an agreement and five memoranda of understanding on various areas of cooperation on the occasion.

This is the Emir’s first visit to Nepal after the two countries established diplomatic ties on January 21, 1977.

Nepal had set up its embassy in Doha on July 11, 2000 and Qatar its embassy in Kathmandu in August 2011.