Politics

Australian Ambassador Budd makes farewell call to Environment Minister Basnet

Australian ambassador tells Minister Basnet that he would like to visit Nepal to see the Red Panda in the future

KathmanduPati September 08, 2020

KATHMANDU: Ambassador of Australia to Nepal, Peter Budd, recently spoke with Minister for Forests and Environment Shakti Bahadur Basnet.

Ambassador Budd held his farewell meeting with the Minister for Forests and Environment Basnet at his office in Singhadurbar on Tuesday.

Budd, a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia, has been appointed as the Australian Ambassador to Nepal in March 2017.

He will be returning to Australia after serving as the ambassador to Nepal for three and a half years.

Minister Basnet commended the role of Ambassador Budd in strengthening the 60-year long formal bilateral ties between Nepal and Australia.

During the meeting, Minister Basnet thanked Australian government for its assistance on Nepal’s community forest management. He also expressed his willingness to forge a cooperation on the protection of forests and environment.

Stating that Covid-19 has posed multiple challenges to the world, he underlined the need for international cooperation to combat the pandemic.

Ambassador Budd also expressed his gratitude to Minister Basnet for his support on the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Stating that there were flights to Australia even during the lockdown, he told Minister Basnet that he was hopeful of the continuation of regular commercial flights between the two countries even post-Covid-19.

During the meeting with Minister Basnet, Ambassador Budd also recalled his trip to Chitwan and Bardiya. He stated that he is looking forward to visiting Nepal in the future to see the Red Panda.

Minister Basnet and Ambassador Budd also discussed the implementation of a Covid Recovery Program in the Karnali province.