Nepal and Qatar today inked two deals to promote tourism and provide legal assistance to Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf state.The deals were reached during official talks between President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani at the Qatari Royal Palace in Doha.President Yadav, who is here on a four-day state visit, held talks with the Emir. A guard of honour was also presented to him.

 

Minister for Law and Justice Hridayesh Tripathi, who is accompanying the president as minister-inwaiting and his Qatari counterpart Hasan Bin Abdullah Al-Ghanem signed the Agreement on Legal Cooperation in the presence of the president and the Emir. An MoU on Bilateral Tourism Promotion was also signed between Nepal’s ambassador to Qatar Surya Nath Mishra and Chairman of the Tourism and Exhibition Authority of Qatar at the same venue.

 

The 12-point legal cooperation pact pursued by the Nepali side, aimed to ensure Qatar government legal help for Nepali workers there who found themselves in trouble, such as being cheated by their employers or insurance companies.They will also get help from Qatari officials while extending visa, according to a Nepali embassy official in Doha. More than 400,000 Nepalis work in the wealthy Gulfstate.

 

Qatari officials said they expected as many as the number of Nepalis currently working there in the next two years to meet the demand for workers for building infrastructure to organise the 2022 Olympic games.

Contrary to expectation, the two countries were not able to sign the Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA), which, a Nepali official attributed to lack of homework on the part of both sides.

The Emir directed officials to begin procedures to establish an embassy in Nepal at the soonest, according to a source.

 

President Yadav extended an invitation to the Emir to visit Nepal at a convenient time, which was accepted right away. “I would like to embark on a visit to Nepal as early as possible,” a source quoted the Emir. The Emir showed interest in the latest political situation in Nepal and Dr Yadav apprised him of the political transition and Nepal’s efforts to find lasting peace and a permanent constitution.