Kathmandu: Newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs Balananda Sharma took the oath of office and secrecy before President Ram Chandra Paudel at a special ceremony held at the President’s Office on December 26.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki appointed Sharma as Foreign Minister. With the latest expansion, the Karki-led Council of Ministers has been expanded to 15 members.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Karki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, senior government officials, heads of diplomatic missions, and chiefs of constitutional bodies.
A former Lieutenant General of the Nepali Army, Sharma previously served as Secretariat Coordinator of the former Army Integration Special Committee. He has also held the post of Force Commander of a United Nations peacekeeping mission and currently serves as President of the Defense University.
