KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged the United States to provide additional vaccination against Kovid-19. In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday evening, Deuba asked for help with vaccinations.
During his two-day visit to India, Blinken called Prime Minister Deuba from New Delhi. During the talks, they discussed the cooperation of vaccination against Kovid-19 and the support of health materials. During the dialogue, Prime Minister Deuba emphasized vaccination diplomacy, Prime Minister Deuba's press aide Govindra Pariyar told Kantipur. "The prime minister has called for more assistance, giving priority to vaccinations. He also made it clear that Nepal is ready to bring vaccines in both the grant and procurement process, 'he said.
In a statement issued by the State Department, Deuba called on the US government to provide the necessary vaccinations for children and adolescents. During the talks, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister also discussed bilateral relations and cooperation. The two also discussed Nepal's development priorities, US cooperation, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prime Minister Deuba and Foreign Minister Blinken also discussed climate change and its implications. Deuba sent a message of congratulations and best wishes to US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris through Blinken and wished to work together. According to a Foreign Ministry source, the conversation lasted for about 10 minutes.
Even two weeks after Deuba became prime minister, US Secretary of State Blinken has chosen New Delhi over Washington DC to congratulate and communicate. The question, of course, is what kind of message it conveys in diplomacy. Diplomat Arjun Kant Mainali, who arrived in New Delhi, said that the telephone call made by the US Secretary of State to the Prime Minister of Nepal should be taken as normal. "The US Secretary of State also remembers Nepal when he visited the region," he added.
