Nepal invites Modi, Imran to Sagarmatha summit

Kathmandu, January 24

Nepal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan PM Imran Khan and other SAARC leaders to the first Sagarmatha Sambaad forum to be held here in April to deliberate on issues of global, regional and national significance, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said today.

“We have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are awaiting the confirmation,” Gyawali said. He said leaders of all SAARC countries, including Pakistan PM Imran Khan, had been invited and Nepal would be happy to host all regional leaders so that they could hold discussions on challenges faced by the region.

The first edition of the “Sagarmatha Sambaad” is scheduled to be held from April 2 to 4 on the theme “Climate change, mountains and the future of humanity”, he told a group of visiting Indian reporters.

“The sambaad (dialogue) is named after the world’s tallest mountain Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) which is also a symbol of friendship,” Gyawali said.

The main objectives of the first edition of the event are to forge a common consensus among countries on the impending climate crisis and encourage political leaders to mobilise their political willpower to tackle its menace, Gyawali said.

It also hopes to create awareness among participants and the world about the direct relation that exists between the climate change and mountain ecology.

To be held biennially, the dialogue hopes to draw global leaders to discuss ways of cooperation and exchange of ideas on global issues. — PTI