Meeting between Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mrs. Sahana Pradhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal

October 12, 2007

On October 10, Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mrs. Sahana Pradhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, now visiting Japan, held talks for about 20 minutes, starting at 18:00 in the evening. The gist of their talks was as follows:

At the outset, Foreign Minister Pradhan explained to Foreign Minister Koumura that the Constitutional Assembly election of November 22 was unavoidably postponed because the political parties failed to reach an agreement. Foreign Minister Pradhan expressed gratitude for Japan’s assistance for ballot boxes and the activities of six members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). Mrs. Pradhan also said that she hoped that Japan would dispatch electoral monitors for the fair implementation of the Constitutional Assembly election.
In response, Foreign Minister Koumura expressed his disappointment that the Constitutional Assembly election was postponed, and he urged the election to be certainly held in due course. Mr. Koumura also said that he hoped Nepal would continue on its path to democracy, and Japan would promise to continue its support.
Foreign Minister Pradhan informed Foreign Minister Koumura that in her speech at the UN General Assembly she stressed the ways in which Japan had been cooperating proactively around the world in various fields and argued that it should become a permanent member of the Security Council. In response, Mr. Koumura expressed his appreciation and said Japan would be willing to contribute even more actively as a permanent member state.

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