Kathmandu, Sept 4:
Jung Bahadur Chauhan, proposed ambassador to Russian Federation, pledged to further enhance bilateral relations between Nepal and Russia.
Presenting his action-plan to the Parliamentary Hearing Committee today, proposed ambassador Chauhan said that his primary focus will be on attracting Russian investment, bringing in a significant number of tourists, further strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries and repatriating Nepalis who were recruited into the Russian army and take initiatives to address problems emanating in this regard.
Rising above the situation of maintaining only formal relation with Russia, the proposed ambassador pledged to work on attracting investment in the areas of road, energy and industries and developing cultural relation with Russia.
Chauan is one of the 17 ambassadorial candidates nominated by the Cabinet meeting on July 29.
Stating that Russia had shown great interest in investment in Nepal’s energy, tourism, agriculture and sports among others, he claimed that he can play a role to leverage Russia’s interest in these areas to benefit Nepal while maintaining one of the fundamental principle of Nepal’s foreign policy- Non-aligned policy.
Noting Russian citizens’ fondness towards adventure tourism, he opined that Nepal can take benefit from it since, he said, and that there is a tremendous potential for such tourism.
According to him, Russia had been offering various scholarships to Nepali students in the past which, he mentioned, has decreased in the recent years.
Towards this, he vowed to take initiatives to boost the scholarship schemes for Nepali students if he assumes the role as the ambassador.
According to details provided by the Nepali Embassy in Russia, of the Nepalis who joined the Russian army, 175 have returned home, while seven were held as prisoners of war in Ukraine, and 43 have died, he said. The proposed expressed confidence that his proficiency in the Russian language would be an asset in effectively facilitating the repatriation of Nepalis recruited into the Russian army and preventing further recruitment.
During the hearing, he reported that, according to the latest details from the Embassy, the DNA test of 5 of the dead Nepalis joining Russian army had been conducted while the dead bodies kept in the holding centre were in unrecognizable condition. The test, however, was underway, to identify the dead bodies, he mentioned. The number of Nepali who went to Russia through illegal means could not be ascertained.
During his presentation, he reaffirmed his commitment to work in the best interest of Nepal and the Nepalis in Russia during his ambassadorial stint.
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