The United States Embassy in Kathmandu reiterated the strong ties shared by US and Nepal, saying that their relationship is ‘broader than one agreement’.
The comments came after the Nepal government ratified the $500 million-dollar Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact for Nepal.
On Sunday, Nepal’s parliament finally ratified the much-debated MCC compact after the ruling coalition reached a consensus. The 12-point ‘interpretative declaration’ paves way for the ratification of the MCC agreement.
Amid growing opposition over a United States-funded infrastructure programme in Nepal, the US embassy in Kathmandu on Saturday said the decision to ratify the compact solely rests with the Nepal government.
In September 2017, the US government signed a $500 million compact with the Government of Nepal under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) initiative.
The compact aims to fund the maintenance of road quality, increase the availability and reliability of electricity, and facilitate cross-border electricity trade between Nepal and India.
The United States government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in Parliamentary ratification of its $500 million grant to Nepal, after the government prorogued the session on Friday.
The government decided to end the Parliament session as the main opposition party, CPN-UML, had been obstructing House proceedings since September 8 when the new session of the Parliament began.
The main opposition party stalled the House proceedings to protest the alleged bias of Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota.