Jordan Opens Honorary Consulate in Nepal, Appoints Kunal Kayal as Honorary Consul

Photo: Office of the President of Nepal

KATHMANDU: Jordan has officially opened its Honorary Consulate Office in Nepal, appointing Kunal Kayal as the Honorary Consul. Kayal, a prominent Nepali businessman, also serves as Treasurer of the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI), Chairman of Sanima GIC Insurance Company, and Director of the Keyal Group.

At the inauguration ceremony in Kathmandu, Jordan’s non-resident ambassador to Nepal, Yousef Abdelghani, highlighted the strong political ties and shared international perspectives between the two nations. He expressed optimism about expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and tourism.

“Jordan excels in sectors like pharmaceuticals, food processing, textiles, and gourmet products. We see potential in importing spices from Nepal as we do from India,” said Ambassador Abdulghani. He also suggested expanding airline connectivity between Nepal and Jordan via existing routes to Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

He emphasized the need for deeper business collaboration and proposed setting up three joint mechanisms to enhance ties at both government and private sector levels. These would focus on areas such as politics, trade, investment, and tourism.

While around 3,000 Nepali citizens currently work in Jordan, the ambassador sees scope for increasing labor and cultural exchange between the two countries.

Kayal mentioned that Nepal and Jordan have shared friendly relations since establishing diplomatic ties on August 20, 1965. The new consulate aims to further enhance engagement and cooperation in the years ahead.