Japanese premier vows to further enhance ties with Nepal

​​​​​​​By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Tuesday to further strengthen ties with Nepal.

Takaichi made the remarks as she hosted Nepalese President Ramchandra Paudel in Tokyo, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Takaichi noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal.

She said she “would like to further strengthen bilateral relations,” for the occasion, and noted that both nations “have built friendly relations based on a long history of people-to-people exchanges, including student exchanges and mountaineering exchanges.”

The prime minister also said that “stability in Nepal” is important for Japan and emphasized “the importance of Nepal’s general election scheduled to be held on March 5 this year to be conducted in a free, fair, and inclusive manner with broad participation by the people of Nepal.”

She added that Tokyo “will continue to support the consolidation of democracy in Nepal and cooperate for Nepal’s development.”

The elections will take place March 5, following the resignation of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli following mass protests in September.

Japan and Nepal established diplomatic ties in 1956, with a trade volume of approximately $69,21 million in 2019-2020, according to data from Tokyo.