Ambassador of Nepal to Qatar, Prof. Ramesh Prasad Koirala (pictured) has said that Nepal Culture House which will also serve the purpose of a community centre will be established in Qatar next year.
“We are working to establish Nepal Culture House with a unique architecture. The building will also provide Nepali community a platform to organize community events. It will be established within a year,” the Ambassador said while talking to The Peninsula
He said that Qatar-Nepal relations were very cordial and growing with the passage of time. “Both countries enjoy close cooperation in various sectors. Previously, Nepal’s main focus was on export of manpower to Qatar but now we are expanding the base of our ties,” he added.
The Ambassador said that Nepal had offered attractive investment opportunities to Qatari investors to invest in hydropower and tourism sectors of Nepal.
“There exist a lot of opportunity to invest for development of Nepal’s tourism sector. Next month, we are organizing an ‘Investment Opportunity in Nepal’ conference in Doha in which various government entities of Nepal will give presentations to Qatari companies or investors on industrial, agriculture, tourism, hydropower sectors of Nepal,” he added.
The Ambassador said that investment climate in Nepal was business friendly. “Recently, Doha Bank also opened its representative office there,” he added.
Commending the opening of first overseas visa centre by Qatar in Sri Lanka, the Ambassador said that most likely visa centre in Nepal would also be launched in November this year.
“It is a great move which will not only create ease for migrant workers but will also safeguard their rights and interests,” he noted. He hoped that more manpower from Nepal would come to Qatar in coming months due to expanding infrastructure and hospitality projects.
To a questions he said that in 2017 over $1bn remittances were sent home by Nepali community in Qatar.
Regarding lack of community school, he said that the embassy was performing its due role as a facilitator. “I have had meetings with officials of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and community members and we are encouraging Nepali businessmen to start a private school because 15,000 Nepali families live in Qatar who are definitely looking for a community school,” he said.
He said that Nepal was also developing trade relations with Qatar. “Now we have started exporting vegetables and other edible items like black cardamom to Qatar,” he added.
The Ambassador said that the population of Nepali community in Qatar was around 400,000 and the embassy was facilitating the community with an impeccable system in place. “Around 200 Nepali citizens and other people visit the embassy daily and we provide them multiple services within half an hour,” he said.
The Ambassador said that due to improved regulations and systems provided by the government of Qatar, Nepali community was not facing any major problem.
Regarding upcoming Dashain festival, he said that the embassy would facilitate different Nepali associations to celebrate the event. “Community members will also visit the embassy to mark the festival as its doors always remain open for them while there will be two official holidays at the embassy,” he said.
