Striking off wide-spread news over Nepal joining US in the Indo-Pacific strategy, Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali refuted reports claiming the Himalayan nation\u2019s approval on the move.<\/p>\n
Gyawali said this denying the reports that claimed himself and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to have discussed the Indo-Pacific strategy or US Asia policy, during the recent US visit.<\/p>\n
The Minister informed that the two sides only discussed Nepal\u2019s role in the Indo-Pacific region and nothing about the Indo-Pacific strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Nepal is the chair nation of SAARC<\/a> and a member state of BIMSTEC<\/a>, the US reckons that Nepal can play a crucial role in the Indo-Pacific region. But the reports about the US including Nepal in its Indo-Pacific strategy are false,\u201d Gyawali<\/span> said in a press conference on December 23, 2018.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The foreign minister briefed the media about other issues raised discussed in the meet with US officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shared our development priorities with them and about resumption of overseas development assistance to meet our goal to become a middle-income country by 2030. I also thanked them for providing access to 77 Nepali products in the American market and urged them to waive taxes and customs duty for garments manufactured in Nepal<\/a>,\u201d informed Gyawali.<\/p>\n