Press Release
Vice President, the Rt. Hon. Nanda Bahadur Pun, had a bilateral meeting with the Federal President of Austria H.E. Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna this afternoon.
The meeting was held at an atmosphere of utmost cordiality and friendship. Before the Meeting, Austrian President and his spouse warmly welcomed the Vice President, Mrs. Pun and the Nepali delegation at the Presidential Palace.
During the meeting, the Vice President appreciated Austrian support for preservation of heritage in Nepal. He also commended the Austrian President’s leadership in raising climate ambition campaign.
The Rt. Hon. Vice President stressed that the two mountainous and landlocked countries, Nepal and Austria, have good potentials for cooperation and collaboration in areas of hydropower development, technology transfer, renewable energy and climate action. In the 60th year of diplomatic relations, the Vice President underlined the need to further enhance the engagements so as to advance the relations at government, private sector and people to people level.
The Austrian President, H.E. Mr. Van der Bellen appreciated Nepal’s high-level participation at the Austrian World Summit and the importance attached by Nepal to the issue of climate change. He underscored that the two countries have good scope of cooperation in hydro power and renewable energy sectors. Stating that smaller countries have easier avenues of cooperation and collaboration, the Austrian President said that Nepal and Austria need to fully utilise that potential both at bilateral and multilateral level. He appreciated Nepal’s opening of Embassy in Vienna.
Minister for Forest and Environment, Hon. Mr. Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Ambassador of Nepal to Austria H.E. Mr. Prakash Kumar Suvedi, and senior officials from the Office of the Vice President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present during the meeting.
Before the bilateral meeting, the Vice President visited the Exhibition of Modern Nepal Painting show “Nepal Art Now” at the Welt Museum in Vienna. The exhibition is regarded as one of the largest international exhibitions of modern Nepali art in the western capital.
Later in the afternoon, the Vice President is scheduled to attend the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Vienna International Centre. He will also attend the dinner hosted by the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, H.E. Mr. Sebastian Kurz this evening.
Embassy of Nepal
Vienna, Austria
27 May 2019