Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa has heaped praise on newly appointed Honorary Consul of Nepal to Uganda Dr Sudhir Ruparelia.
“I was pleased to approve his appointment because I knew in him, you couldn’t have found a better choice,” the minister said on Tuesday, March 17 evening during a cocktail to celebrate the appointment of Dr Sudhir and opening of the first Nepalese Consular offices at Crane Chambers in Kampala.
Mr. Kutesa, who earlier in the day received Mr. Sudhir’s credentials, was the chief guest at the cocktail also attended by State Minister for international relations Mr. Okello Oryem and Nepalese Ambassador to Egypt Jhabindra Aryal under whose jurisdiction Uganda falls.
Kutesa said the government of Uganda expected relations with Nepal to grow to higher heights with the milestone of a consular office with Mr. Ruparelia, a businessman of longstanding repute behind the initiatives.
“I have every confidence that he will make our relations greater. Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia has got not only the capacity, the interest, but also the means to strengthen the relationship between our two countries.”
Sudhir, who is also the Chairperson of Ruparelia Group of Companies said the decision by Nepal and Uganda to establish a consulate is an important step towards establishing a strong relationship between the two countries.
He added that the consulate will act as a bridge to promote trade, share Nepal’s experience in tourism and provide consular services to Nepalese citizens living in Uganda.
The Nepalese Ambassador to Egypt, Jhabindra, said that having a mission in Uganda will ease access of Nepalese living in Uganda to consular services.
“Our citizens had to approach Cairo, now they have a mission here to take care of their interests. What I expect with this representation and being a sizeable community in Uganda is that Nepal-Uganda relations will be taken to new heights,”he said.
“We have agreed to develop certain mechanisms to take the existing relations between Uganda and Nepal to newer heights. And with Dr. Sudhir’s expertise, government and business relations will be taken to newer heights.”
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