Azernews.Az

From April 30 to May 2, 2025, an Azerbaijani government delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov paid an official visit to Nepal. The visit aimed to bolster bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors and initiate the first round of political consultations between the two countries, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

The visit, during which Deputy Minister Mammadov was received by Nepalese President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister Sharma Oli. He also held a bilateral meeting with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba.

Nepali officials welcomed the Azerbaijani delegation warmly, praising the visit as a sign of growing diplomatic engagement. Both sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest.

One of the key highlights of the visit was the inaugural round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Nepal. These talks were led by Deputy Minister Mammadov and Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. The consultations covered bilateral and multilateral political relations, as well as current and future cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, agriculture, and humanitarian fields.

The sides also assessed collaboration within international organizations positively and emphasized the importance of strengthening mutual support in multilateral formats.

A roundtable discussion was held between Azerbaijani institutions—such as the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture, State Tourism Agency, and AZPROMO—and their Nepalese counterparts. Hosted at the Nepal Investment Board, the meeting provided a platform for Azerbaijani officials to deliver detailed presentations and explore areas for partnership.

In addition, Deputy Minister Mammadov delivered a keynote lecture titled “Azerbaijan’s Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities” at an event organized by the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA). The audience included prominent political figures, think tank leaders, government and NGO representatives, and policy experts. Mammadov engaged directly with participants in a Q&A session following his speech.