KATHMANDU: Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said the government is on the path to achieving economic prosperity.

Addressing a programme organised by the Economic Diplomacy Division of the Foreign Ministry today, the Minister said international aid and trade are key drivers in the country’s pursuit of economic prosperity.

He pointed out the need for further expanding Nepal’s participation in, and benefits from, international assistance and trade.

As he said, the government has paid attention to the need of clarifying its priorities amidst limited challenges and limitations created by Nepal’s geopolitical positioning and taking the nation ahead accordingly.

Stating that though Nepal has been entitled the non-tariff facilities from various nations as a Least Developed Countries, he said such facilities have not been utilised to the expected extent.

The Minister called for a review to identity where the country missed opportunities.

“We have been long passing through a challenging situation. From now on, we must emerge from this situation and identify the appropriate course of action,” the Minister said.

He was of the opinion that expected results would go unattainable if resources are spread across multiple sectors simultaneously, given the existing resource constraints.

In the present global context, political power will be connected through an economic power, he said, underlining the need for formulating policies and plans accordingly and implementing them effectively.

At the programme, Association of Former Career Ambassadors of Nepal (AFCAN) Chairperson and former ambassador Bhagirath Basnet and Association members were present.

Former foreign secretary Gyanchandra Acharya and former ambassador Deepak Dhital presented working papers on trade-related issues. The Minister thanked them for giving the presentations with in-depth and significant insights into the topic.

Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai described both presentations as informative and highly significant.