Balendra Shah, who was elected in March, is allegedly refusing to meet a US official visiting Kathmandu
US President Donald Trump’s envoy for South Asia, Sergio Gor, is visiting Nepal on Thursday, hoping to clinch a meeting with a prime minister averse to meeting to junior officials from foreign countries, local media has reported.
Recently elected Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah refused to meet visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur earlier this month, Kathmandu Post reported on Wednesday.
Gor is reportedly seeking a meeting with Shah on Friday or Saturday at any time of his convenience, according to the report.
As of Wednesday evening, the prime minister had reportedly not given any indication he would see the US diplomat, the paper added.
Sergio Gor is the highest-ranking diplomat to visit Kathmandu since the Rastriya Swatantra Party government headed by Shah was sworn in on March 27.
The report, citing multiple sources at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Shah had not decided to meet Gor, despite suggestions through various channels.
Gor will meet with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, and some other local officials and leaders, an aide to the prime minister said.
The Himalayan nation’s PM reportedly wants to set a benchmark of meeting only ministers or higher-level officials from foreign countries.
Shah reportedly met the ambassadors from different countries jointly on April 8 to underscore his line of thinking.
Gor met with outgoing Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh multiple times. He has also met King Jigme Khesar Namgyel and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan, and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu cancelled his meeting with Gor in protest against the US-Israel war on Iran.
Though this is Gor’s first visit to Kathmandu in his official capacity, he has engaged with the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). Following the party’s victory in the March 5 election, Gor had a telephone conversation with RSP president Rabi Lamichhane on March 25 to congratulate the party on its electoral victory.