Prince Harry lauds resilience of Nepalese people

Kathmandu, Mar 20: Britain's Prince Harry on Sunday saluted the resilience of the people of Nepal recovering from the last year's devastating earthquakes as he called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and discussed a host of bilateral issues during his maiden visit to the country.

Prince Harry, who arrived here yesterday on the five-day visit to mark the 200th anniversary of the Nepal-Britain ties, called on the President at her residence in Sheetal Niwas and said that he was delighted to be in the Himalayan country.

The 31-year-old said he hopes to "shine a spotlight" on resilience of Nepali people recovering from last April's devastating earthquakes which claimed nearly 9,000 lives. "I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that Nepal is a country open for business, so please come and visit again," he said.

Welcoming the Prince, President Bhandari highlighted on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Britain and Nepal. Harry also visited the earthquake-hit historical Patan Durbar Square to learn about the efforts being made to restore buildings of historic significance and to assist disaster preparedness, local media reported.

He also visited Taleju Mandir, Krishna Mandir, Char Narayan Mandir among other places. The Prince yesterday called on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and discussed cooperation between the two nations.

During his meeting with Oli, Harry praised the role played by Gorkha soldiers in the British Army and inquired about the conservation efforts made by Nepal in protecting endangered wild animals including tiger and one-horned rhino.

This is the first time Harry is visiting Nepal. Queen Elizabeth had visited Nepal in 1961 and 1986. Prince Charles, late Princess Diana and Prince Philip have also visited Nepal.

PTI