UN Secretary-General Guterres bidden farewell, leaves Kathmandu after wrapping up official visit

KATHMANDU, Nov 1: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has left Kathmandu today after wrapping up his four-day official visit to Nepal. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka bade him farewell at the VVIP lounge of the Tribhuvan International Airport. 

On the occasion, high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the United Nations Office in Nepal were present. 

A contingent of the Nepal Army offered a guard of honour to Guterres in his farewell. 

At the cordial invitation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', the UN Secretary-General arrived here on October 28 for his official visit to Nepal. 

The UN Chief had separately called on President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. 

Likewise, he held separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chair and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Deputy Prime Minister duo, Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud. 

In the course of his stay in Nepal, he reached Mount Everest and Annapurna Base Camps, Pokhara, and Lumbini. 

He had also observed historically and archaeologically significant Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur. 

PM Dahal hosted a dinner reception with a cultural programme in honour of the Secretary-General. 

During his visit, he also addressed the joint session of the federal parliament. 

Guterres who came to Nepal first after assuming the UN Secretary-General post in 2017 had discussed the issues related to Nepal's home-grown peace process, climate change and poverty alleviation. 

His visit has been taken as a significant diplomatic incident.