Kathmandu [Nepal], August 29 – Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has cancelled his planned visit to Serbia following devastating floods that hit Rasuwa, Nuwakot and other parts of the country last Wednesday.
Khanal was scheduled to travel to Belgrade on Sunday to attend the high-level commemorative meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) set for August 31 and September 1, his secretariat said on Saturday.
The Cabinet had decided on August 11 to send a three-member Nepali delegation led by Khanal to the meeting.
Nepal will instead be represented by a two-member delegation led by Krishna Prasad Dhakal head of the United Nations and International Organisations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting in Belgrade is being held to mark the 65th anniversary of the first NAM Summit which was also hosted by the Serbian capital in 1961.
Khanal’s decision comes as the government continues search, rescue, relief and damage assessment operations following the floods that have caused extensive loss of life and damage to infrastructure.
The Foreign Ministry has been coordinating international assistance as Nepal seeks specialised foreign expertise for tunnel rescue, victim identification, DNA testing and other technical requirements.
