Nepal to ask for more cooperation in development, peace process: minister

Nepali Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said Thursday Nepal will request its development partners and donor agencies to cooperate in the development and peace process during the forthcoming meeting of Asian Development Bank.

Mahat said this while talking to the National News Agency RSS at the International Airport in Kathmandu Thursday prior to his departure to Japan in connection with participating in the two-day 40th meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to be held in Kyoto, Japan from Sunday.

The minister said that discussions would be held with ADB senior officials on the continuation of the programs that ADB has been implementing for Nepal's social and economic development and on formulating programs by identifying additional areas of cooperation.

"Request for assistance would be made for the implementation of Nepal's peace process and the three-year plan," Mahat said while explaining the agenda of his meeting with the ADB president.

He also said a request would be made to the bank for increasing the assistance amount that Nepal has been receiving.

Mahat said while in Kyoto he would be holding talks with finance ministers of the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on topics related to the economy as well as on matters of bilateral interest and mutual concern.

Source: Xinhua