US Embassy in Kathmandu Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Megan Bouldin and French Ambassador to Nepal Françoise Puig-Inza separately met Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai in Kathmandu on Tuesday, with their discussions covering the Nepal-US partnership and cooperation between Nepal and France. Bouldin discussed more than $36 million in US assistance following the devastating floods of August 26, while Rai and Puig-Inza addressed trade, investment, tourism, climate change and sustainable development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
US meeting focuses on partnership and flood assistance
Bouldin's meeting with Rai centered on the relationship between Nepal and the United States, including the delivery of more than $36 million in US assistance in the aftermath of the August 26 floods. The assistance was raised as part of the broader Nepal-US partnership, according to the information provided about the meeting.
The discussion linked the bilateral relationship with support following a natural disaster. The summary describes the floods as devastating but does not specify the locations affected, the nature of the damage, or how the assistance was allocated. It also does not detail the timing or delivery channels for the funds, so no further breakdown of the US support was provided.
The meeting was one of two diplomatic engagements Rai held on Tuesday. Bouldin attended in her capacity as the US Embassy's chargé d'affaires, a.i. The talks addressed the partnership between the two countries, with the flood-related assistance identified as a key element of the agenda. No further details about additional topics, agreements or outcomes from the discussion were available.
Rai and French ambassador discuss cooperation
Separately, Rai met French Ambassador Puig-Inza at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their discussion covered bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, climate change and sustainable development. The meeting brought together the foreign secretary and France's ambassador to Nepal to discuss a broad range of areas in the relationship.
Rai congratulated Puig-Inza on her appointment as France's ambassador to Nepal. The greeting accompanied their discussion of cooperation between the two countries. The information available does not specify whether the meeting resulted in new commitments, projects or agreements in any of the areas raised.
The subjects on the agenda ranged from economic links, including trade and investment, to tourism and environmental concerns. Climate change and sustainable development were also included in the discussion. These were identified as areas of bilateral cooperation, rather than as details of particular programmes or decisions announced after the meeting.
Two diplomatic engagements on Tuesday
The separate meetings brought the US and French representatives to discussions with Rai on the same day, but the stated agendas differed. The US meeting addressed the Nepal-US partnership and assistance following the August 26 floods. The meeting with the French ambassador focused on cooperation across economic, tourism and sustainability-related areas, and included Rai's congratulations on her appointment.
The available summaries do not provide further information on the timing of either meeting beyond Tuesday, or on any follow-up steps. They also do not identify additional participants. The reported discussions therefore offer a concise account of the issues raised: US support after the floods and continuing bilateral cooperation with France in several named sectors.
