Kathmandu, Nepal, November 15, 2021: A top diplomat of United States of America (USA) and southern neighbor India are arriving to Nepal at the third week of November.
According to a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Donald Lu, assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs is arriving to Nepal on November 17.
Though Lu’s visit to Nepal is stated as part of his courtesy calls on regional leaders after he assumed the coveted post as assistant secretary on September 15, his visit to Nepal is viewed linking to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the multibillion American project that’s fate is hanging in the balance due to the sharp division among the political parties.
The MCC project, under which Nepal is to receive $500 million in grants from the USA, is currently awaiting parliamentary endorsement for the implementation. Though the MoFA has not specified about the issue of dialogue, the issue of MCC could figure during the meetings between Lu led US delegates and Nepali leaders.
During his two-day stay in Kathmandu, Lu is scheduled to meet with various leaders including Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka.
Coincidently, Indian Minister for Road, Transportation and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who is also a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, is also arriving to Nepal on November 18.
Though Gadkari is arriving in Kathmandu along with Yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, he is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Deuba and other leaders from the ruling and opposition parties.
