The Vietnam-Nepal Friendship Association will serve as a friendly bridge linking the bilateral friendship. Photo: VUFO

The Advocacy Committee for the establishment of the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association consists of 14 members, headed by Tran Anh Tuan, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, was officially launched in a ceremony in Hanoi.

Attending the ceremony were: Tran Anh Tuan, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs; representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, the General Department of Tourism, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the Institute of Indian and Southwest Asian Studies, and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO).

At the ceremony, the representative of the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced the decision to set up the Advocacy Committee to establish the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association, consisting of 14 members, headed by former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan.

Speaking at the ceremony, Tuan emphasized that the launch of the Advocacy Committee for the establishment of the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association is an important step for its members have a base to mobilize and gather people who love and understand Nepal to participate in the establishment of the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association in the near future.

The advocacy committee has the task of propagating and mobilizing organizations and individuals to voluntarily register to join the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association; prepare conditions for applying for the association establishment; organize the congress to establish the association. The advocacy committee to establish the association dissolves itself when the Congress elects the Association's leadership.

According to Tuan, the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association will be established with the principle of being a social organization of Vietnamese citizens and organizations that are interested in or related to activities in the field of people-to-people diplomacy with Nepal to organize effective people-to-people activities between the two peoples.

With the core being members of the advocacy committee , the association will do well in its role as an advisor and be the core force in the implementation of activities with diverse, practical, appropriate and effective forms, contributing to the development of the association; contribute to the enhancement of friendship, understanding and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and the people of Nepal; acting as a bridge to promote cooperation activities in the fields of politics, economy - trade, culture, tourism.

Tuan believed that in the coming time, with the cooperation and support of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and relevant agencies, the advocacy committee and later the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association that will do well in its roles and tasks.

Vietnam’s Ambassador to India, Nepal, and Bhutan Pham Sanh Chau (third from left) hands over 30,000 USD from the Vietnamese government in support of Nepal's COVID-19 fight, May 24, 2021. Photo:VOV

At the invitation of then Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his spouse had an official visit to Vietnam in 2019.

This was the first official visit made by a Nepali Prime Minister to Vietnam since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1975. It was also the first visit to the Southeast Asian region made by KP Sharma Oli since he was sworn in as Nepali Prime Minister in February 2018.

The visit was a significant political event, contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Nepal in all areas, meeting the aspiration of the two peoples.

Regarding State institutions, Nepal is a country with parliamentary democracy; the Federal Parliament consists of the National Assembly, as upper house, and the House of Representatives, as lower house.

Vietnam and Nepal set up their diplomatic relations in 1975. Over the past 46 years, the sound traditional friendship between Vietnam and Nepal has continuously been nurtured and developed by the two countries’ leaders and peoples.

The Vietnam – Nepal bilateral cooperation has been fostered in diverse areas such as politics, economy and tourism. Cooperation through the Party channel between the two sides has been well maintained while the exchanges of delegations at ministerial and local levels have been kept regularly. Leaders of the two countries have regularly exchanged messages of congratulations on each other’s major events.

Vietnamese and Nepali people have provided mutual support for each other. Vietnam’s Ambassador to India, Nepal, and Bhutan Pham Sanh Chau in May 2021 presented USD 30,000 from the Vietnamese government to Nepal’s Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhayay to help Nepal fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in June presented 2,000 Covid-19 test kits worth VND 600 million (USD 26,000) to Nepal to aid the country’s Covid fight.

The donations were handed over to the Government and people of Nepal via Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to India and Nepal Pham Sanh Chau.

The donations from the VBS shows affection of Vietnamese Buddhist monks and followers for the Nepalese, Venerable Thich Nguyen Chinh, deputy head of the Office of the VBS Central Committee said, adding that the VBS hopes Nepal will soon keep the pandemic at bay.

The VBS also raised fund for Nepalese people in 2015 after the country was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

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