Kathmandu [Nepal], August 25 – Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has called for Nepal-US relations to move beyond traditional development assistance and focus more strongly on investment, trade, technology and entrepreneurship.
Speaking as the keynote speaker at an event in Kathmandu on Tuesday organized by the Center for South Asian Studies-Nepal to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, Khanal said Nepal’s planned graduation from the least developed country category requires a new economic foundation for bilateral relations.
“Nepal is decisively shifting from an aid-dependent economy toward private-sector dynamism, foreign direct investment and higher-value trade” he said, stressing that bilateral ties should evolve accordingly.
Khanal identified three strategic areas for expanded economic cooperation. The first is linking Nepal’s skilled youth and information technology workforce with US innovation and capital to accelerate digital transformation.
He also called for greater cooperation in clean energy and climate resilience including sustainable hydropower, cross-border electricity transmission and protection of Himalayan ecosystems.
The third priority he said should be connecting the Nepali diaspora in the United States with Nepal’s economic transformation through technology transfer, trade links and entrepreneurship.
Khanal noted that Nepal and the United States will mark 80 years of diplomatic relations next year. He highlighted long-standing US support in areas including malaria control, the Peace Corps, the Fulbright programme, post-earthquake reconstruction and infrastructure development.
He also said shared democratic values, institutional integrity and accountable governance remain central to the relationship amid geopolitical divisions, climate challenges, economic pressures, misinformation and rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
