EAM S Jaishankar congratulates new Nepal Foreign Min N Khadka ahead of 76th UNGA session

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated the newly-inducted Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka saying that he is looking forward to working with him. A member of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress party, Khadka became Minister of External Affairs of Nepal on September 22. President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed the senior Nepali Congress leader on the recommendation of the government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as per Article 76(9) of the Nepalese Constitution. Taking to Twitter, EAM S Jaishankar said, "Congratulations to Hon’ble Dr. Narayan Khadka on his appointment as Nepal's Foreign Minister. Look forward to working with him."

EAM Jaishankar will attend the G4 and G20 meetings on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly session. The G20 summit is said to focus on the ongoing Afghanistan crisis while the G4 External Affairs Minister and delegates meeting will focus on Security Council reforms. According to officials in Kathmandu, Khadka, who is leading the Nepalese delegation to the UNGA, will depart the homeland to attend the 76th United Nations General Assembly session in New York on the night of September 22. 

Who is Dr Narayan Khadka?

72-year-old Khadka, who hails from Bhojpur, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Bhandari amid a ceremony at Sheetal Niwas. The office of Nepal Foreign Minister had been vacant for over two months after the formation of the new government led by Deuba. Until now the portfolio was held by Nepal's Prime Minister. Nepal PM Deuba has sought consensus with the coalition saying that the ministry would be retained by the Nepali Congress. 

In 1967, Dr Narayan Khadka entered politics. He has a PhD in Economics from a university in Pune. He was the vice-chairman of Nepal's National Planning Commission. He was also a member of the National Interest Preservation Committee of the First Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He served as an advisor to then-Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the 1990s.

Previously, Khadka worked in the Sushil Koirala-led cabinet as Minister of Urban Development in 2014. He is also a member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly's 2nd Constituent Assembly. In the 2013 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, he won the Udayapur–1 seat from the Nepali Congress.