Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Australian Assistant Foreign Minister, Tim Watts, has concluded his three-day visit to Nepal. Although his intended visit was for two days only, he flew to New Delhi on Thursday morning via a Nepal Airlines flight due to the cancellation of his flight on Wednesday evening.
At a time when Nepal is preparing to establish direct flight connectivity with Australia, the visiting dignitary got the opportunity to get first-hand information about the service of the national flag carrier.
Although Nepal and Australia have a long-standing relationship, there hasn’t been a high-level visit from Australia to Nepal since 1985. Although Watt’s visit was termed as a non-political visit, it appears that the assistant minister sought Nepal’s support for Australia’s candidature in various UN bodies.
Acknowledging the increasing presence of Nepalis in Australia, Watts stated that with the growing Nepali community, religious, cultural, and lifestyle diversity has also increased in Australia. Wearing a garland of Rudraksha beads around his neck, Watts paid his respects to Hindus while observing the main gate of the Pashupatinath temple with a serene smile.
During his stay in Nepal, Watts held meetings with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud. During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal extended an invitation to his Australian counterpart to visit Nepal. Watts responded saying that he would relay the message to the Prime Minister. He discussed Australia’s commitment to support human resource development and capacity building in Nepal’s education sector.
In the meeting with Foreign Minister Saud, Watts emphasized the need to elevate the Nepal-Australia relationship. Stating that the political and public level relationship between Nepal and Australia remains strong, Watts said, “We pay little attention to political issues here.”
Watts visited the Tilganga Eye Hospital and met with Dr Sanduk Ruit to acknowledge Nepal’s success in eye treatment. “I am so proud of the partnership between the Tilganga Institute and The Fred Hollows Foundation that has made cataract surgery affordable in Nepal,” Watts said in a tweet post after the visit. “When they first started, only 10% of people in Nepal could receive quality eye surgery. Now, 99% have access.”
As part of his visit, Australia returned the 13th-century Ratneshwar temple strut to Nepal. The Art Gallery of New South Wales director, Michael Brandt, presented the struct to the chief priest of the temple, Herambaraj Rajopadhyay, on Tuesday.
All Photos: Tim Watt’s Twitter
