KATHMANDU, September 06 (H.S.): South Korea has expressed its commitment to supporting Nepal’s ongoing reconstruction efforts following the devastating floods. The assurance was conveyed during a meeting between Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar on Sunday.

According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two ministers held detailed discussions on the search, rescue and relief operations being carried out in the aftermath of the devastating floods that struck Nepal on August 26, as well as efforts to locate missing South Korean nationals.

Minister Khanal expressed gratitude to the South Korean government for deploying a Korean disaster relief team and an inter-agency rapid response team to assist operations in the flood-affected areas.

Appreciating South Korea’s provision of humanitarian assistance and relief supplies, Khanal said that the Nepalese government’s key priority in the coming days would be to develop disaster-resilient, sustainable and robust infrastructure in the affected areas. He also expressed hope for continued support from South Korea in these efforts.

In response, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that the Korean government was fully prepared to assist Nepal in its post-disaster reconstruction efforts. Emphasising the international community’s historical responsibility for addressing the losses suffered by countries such as Nepal as a result of climate change, he said Nepal and South Korea should work together to raise awareness among other countries on the issue through global platforms such as the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Foreign Minister Cho also pledged that South Korea would raise its voice in support of greater international financial assistance for Nepal.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two foreign ministers reiterated their commitment to working together to further strengthen and elevate bilateral relations, which are rooted in longstanding friendship, mutual trust and cooperation.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is currently on a three-day visit to Nepal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar