By Anil Giri in The Kathmandu Post, Dec 01, 2023
Giving continuity to diplomatic exchanges between the US and Nepal, several senior American officials are already in Kathmandu while more are scheduled to arrive within a week.
USAID Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia Michael Schiffer is in Kathmandu and has started meeting ministers and officials. He arrived on Wednesday and met Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat on the same day.
At the meeting, they discussed long-standing friendship between the US and Nepal, and Schiffer reaffirmed USAID’s commitment to working hand-in-hand for Nepal’s development, according to a post by the USAID on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier, USAID administrator Samantha Power had visited Nepal in early February and met top government officials and pledged continued US support for Nepal’s development, democracy and long-term inclusive prosperity.
With a distinguished career spanning over a decade, Schiffer has been at the forefront of foreign relations and security affairs, making significant contributions to international development and diplomacy, the USAID Nepal wrote on its Facebook account, adding that he is responsible for leading and coordinating development and humanitarian assistance programs in the Asia region.
The role involves strategic planning, resource allocation, and program oversight to address various development challenges, including economic growth, health, education, and governance, according to the Facebook post.
During his visit, Schiffer will meet civil society leaders, community groups, farmers, businesses [sic], and government officials to discuss Nepal’s efforts and achievements in becoming a more democratic, prosperous, inclusive, and resilient country, said the USAID.
Another top official, Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, who is currently working as ‘special assistant to the assistant to the president for national security affairs’, National Security Council, Washington, is arriving on a two-day official visit on December 6. She is coming via India.
She is currently a senior director at the National Security Council for South Asia. Laubacher had met Foreign Minister NP Saud during his recent visit to Washington DC and discussed various facets of Nepal-US ties, according to the Nepali Embassy in Washington.
She will be accompanied by Seamas Whitesel, director for South Asia Regional Affairs at the National Security Council. As per the itinerary, Laubacher will meet senior government officials including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and others and discuss cooperation in security and other bilateral issues.
The visit is focused on discussing the various facets of Nepal-US ties, South Asia and matters related to security, among other things, said a foreign ministry official familiar with the visit. Her focus areas are security ties, human rights, refugee rights, strengthening democracy, defense cooperation, development cooperation, cooperation between the law enforcement agencies and cyber security.
Senior US officials from various offices and bureaus have been visiting Nepal since early this year. In January, US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland was in Nepal for high-level meetings. Soon after her departure, Power, the chief of the USAID, landed in Kathmandu on a two-day visit in early February. Later in the same month, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Afreen Akhter was in Kathmandu.
Besides Biden administration officials, several officials from the Millennium Challenge Corporation including its Chief Executive Officer Alice Albright visited Kathmandu this year to express their concerns with top Nepali officials including the prime minister regarding timely completion of the projects funded by the MCC, which is an independent US aid agency set up by the US Congress.
Also coming to Nepal is Alaina B Teplitz, a former US envoy to Nepal who currently serves as assistant secretary of state. Teplitz will arrive next week and engage in administrative consultations. She had served as US ambassador to Nepal 2015 t0 2018, and later to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/12/01/senior-us-officials-are-visiting-nepal-1701398345
