Danish Foreign Minister arriving

John Narayan Parajuli

Aarhus, Denmark, Nov 25 - The Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller is due to arrive in Kathmandu on Wednesday for a three-day visit with a three member delegation.This is Moller’s second attempt to visit Nepal since October last year when he had to return home ...

"This visit reflects the long and good bilateral relations between the two countries," said a Danish Foreign Ministry official accompanying Minister Moller.

The main thrust of his visit is to express support for the historic changes in Nepal and also to convey concerns regarding the standoffs between major political parties on some issues that are protracting the peace process. As a major donor to Nepal, Denmark is anxious to see substantial progress in the current phase of the peace process soonerthan later.

During his Nepal stay, Moller is scheduled to call on President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav, among other officials. In his meetings with Nepali leaders and officials, he is expected to urge all parties to expedite the ongoing peace process.

Minister Moller is also likely to visit the Bhutanese refugee camp in Damak, Jhapa. Denmark is one of the recipient countries resettling the Bhutanese refugees who have signed up for third-country resettlement."Denmark has placed Nepal high on its priority list of bilateral aid recipients. This visit will only add to that strong Danish backing for Nepal's peace process and development efforts," Nepali Ambassador to Denmark Vijay Kant Karna told ekantipur.

Denmark allocated additional funding for the peace process earlier this year. In August the Board of DANIDA approved an additional 8.4 million USD (600 million rupees). The peace grant is designed to help prepare a reintegration strategy for the Maoist combatants, storage and destruction of Improvised Explosive Devices, and monitoring and support of transitional justice.

Danish bilateral assistance for the current fiscal year is expected to be over 43 million US dollar, nearly doubling since 2005. Denmark is among the world's largest donor relative to its economy, providing about 0.85 percent of its GNP every year in aid to developing countries.No bilateral agreement is expected to be signed.

Minister Moller is visiting Nepal at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Yadav. Minister Yadav had made a brief stopover in Denmark in September on his way to New York for the UN General Assembly meeting. During his stay in Denmark, Minister Yadav had met the members of Danish Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, besides inaugurating the new Nepali embassy in Copenhagen. Nepal upgraded its diplomatic presence in Denmark from a consulate to a full-fledged embassy last year.