The Honorary Consulate of Nepal in Lebanon on Wednesday announced in a statement: “The Chief of the Nepalese Army, General Prabhu Raj Sharma, at the head of a high-ranking military delegation, with the participation of the Honorary Consul General of the Federal Republic of Nepal, Elcheikh Mohamed Wissam Ghouzayel, visited His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Aoun, His Excellency Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri, His Excellency the Caretaker Prime Minister, Mr. Najib Mikati, His Excellency the Minister of Defense, General Maurice Sleem, and the Commander of the Lebanese Army General Joseph Aoun.
His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Aoun, expressed his gratitude to the Nepalese army, and praised its constructive role in the peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon, and the integration of the Nepalese battalion with the people of the regions in southern Lebanon. He also stressed the strengthening of industrial and economic relations, and inviting Nepalese businessmen to visit Lebanon. .
For his part, the Commander of the Nepalese Army, General Prabhu Raj Sharma, expressed his thanks to the President for receiving the delegation, and informed the President that the Lebanese-Nepalese relations have existed since 1958 and there is cooperation between the Lebanese Army and the Nepalese Army through carrying out a staff course for some officers of the Lebanese Army in Nepal, and that the State of Nepal is represented in the Nepalese diplomatic corps through its Honorary Consul General Elcheikh Mohamed Wissam Ghouzayel.
At the conclusion of the presidential meeting, the Chief of the Nepalese army presented the President of the Republic with a commemorative shield as a token of love and friendship.
In the next meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri, the Speaker expressed his special love for the state and people of Nepal, and his gratitude to the Nepalese battalion operating in southern Lebanon, which offered many martyrs in defense of the innocent in southern Lebanon, as he asked in particular the Consul Ghouzayel for direction in order to pave the way for a memorandum of cooperation between the Lebanese Parliament and the Nepalese Parliament, and to invite some Nepalese parliamentarians to visit Lebanon, He assigned advisor, Mr. Ali Hamdan, to follow up on the affairs of this file with Consul Ghouzayel.
Then the delegation continued its visit to the caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, where Premier Mikati called for enabling economic, commercial and industrial relations and signing bilateral agreements between the two countries. He expressed his agreement in principle to allow Nepalese citizens who have European, American or Gulf visas to obtain a direct entry visa from Rafic Hariri International Airport, and asked Consul Ghouzayel to submit a request to the Lebanese General Security in this regard.
In turn, the commander of the Nepalese army welcomed Premier Mikati’s proposals, thanked him for the warm reception and presented him with a souvenir.
The delegation continued its visit with a meeting with the Minister of Defense, General Maurice Selim. The Chief of the Nepalese Army praised the existing military cooperation within the framework of the strong relations between the two countries, which date back to the early 1960s. In turn, the Minister of Defense thanked Nepal’s participation in the international force since 1978 and the efforts and sacrifices made by the Nepalese battalion.
In conclusion, the Chief of the Nepalese Army and his accompanying delegation met the Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, in his office in Yarzeh, and they discussed cooperation relations between the two armies, then the two sides exchanged gifts and took a number of memorial photos.”
Source: National News Agency