KATHMANDU: Chief of US Army in Asia-Pacific region, Charles A Flynn, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar on Friday.
The meeting between the duo focused on various subjects including bilateral interests between Nepal and the US, said Gobinda Pariyar, press chief of the PM. General Flynn arrived in Nepal on Thursday on a four-day official goodwill visit.
He is scheduled to visit the Headquarters of Nepali Army and the Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre.
While praising the Nepal Army for its role in the UN peacekeeping, he would engage in a discussion on various subjects including disaster preparedness and response and humanitarian assistance, it has been said.
Earlier today, the visiting United States Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) Commandar, General Charles A. Flynn, visited the Nepal Army Headquarter.
General Flynn held a bilateral meeting with Nepal Army Chief, General Prabhu Ram Sharma. According to Nepal Army, both Flynn and Sharma have reviewed the age-old military relations with USA and Nepal.
General Flynn arrived Nepal on Thursday on a four-day visit. Nepal Army chief Prabhu Ram Sharma is also preparing to embark on his visit to the USA. Then, the Prime Minister Deuba himself is visiting USA in a formal visit.
Nepal and USA have been celebrating 75th diplomatic anniversary with different programs, and high level visits.
Flynn is the highest ranking US Army official visiting Nepal in three years. Admiral Philip S Davidson, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, had arrived in Kathmandu in January 2019.
The US government had pledged to provide four sky trucks during former Army chief Rajendra Chhetri’s visit to the US in April 2016. Although two of the sky trucks arrived in December 2019, the United States is yet to deliver the remaining two.
According to local The Kathmandu Post, neither Defence Ministry officials nor the Army confirmed any talks for a requested supply of US-made rifles.
The Nepal Army has long been planning to acquire M4, M-16, and A4 rifles to equip its squads deployed in UN peacekeeping operations in war-torn countries.
The plan to buy over 6,000 rifles has been delayed after the supplier demanded the entire payment in a single tranche, which is not allowed under Nepal’s procurement law. As per the law such payments can be made in three tranches. Though the Ministry Defence had claimed to have cleared the legal hurdles, Nepal is yet to receive the rifles.
The Nepal Army acquired M16 rifles for the first time in 2003 as part of the US government’s support to contain the Maoist insurgency. Washington provided around 17,000 sophisticated rifles as per the deal with the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in 2002. The 5.56mm rifles, which are attached to ammunition belts, can fire 30 rounds within the range of 300 to 350 metres.
