We Have Been Taking Maximum Diplomatic Initiatives for the Release of Bipin: Says Foreign Minister Dr. Rana

Kathmandu: Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been continuously working on diplomatic initiatives for the release of Bipin Joshi, who is under the control of the Hamas group.

Dr. Rana on her social media stated, “After being appointed as the Foreign Minister, I started working by keeping this issue as a priority. For the past one year, I have been making a special request to everyone for the release of Bipin in the UN General Assembly, international forums, various bilateral and multilateral meetings and meetings that I have attended.”

Foreign Minister, Dr. Rana, during the participation in the 79th UN General Assembly last October in New York, drew the attention of the world community to the issue of Bipin’s release while addressing the world leaders present there, including the G77 Plus, G20, LDC Group meetings.

Similarly, she had raised the issue in his address at the Acidity Conference held in Doha last October and in subsequent sideline meetings. After the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was prepared, she had called the foreign ministers of the countries involved in the ceasefire and met with the ambassadors of those countries in Nepal to request their cooperation for Bipin’s release.

Stating that the Nepalese government has been continuously making diplomatic efforts for Bipin’s release, Minister Dr. Rana said that after the ceasefire preparations between the Israeli government and Hamas began and US President Donald Trump pressured Hamas to release the prisoners, Minister Dr. Rana had also made his diplomatic initiatives more active.

Last January, she had spoken to Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and requested Bipin’s release in the first phase.

Minister Dr. Rana also spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister and made the same request in the first phase. She had requested the Foreign Minister that the Israeli government take the initiative for Bipin’s release in the first phase of the people who were said to be kidnapped by Hamas.

Similarly, she spoke to Egyptian Foreign Minister and Iranian Foreign Minister and requested the Nepalese government to take special initiatives for Bipin’s release. Minister Dr. Rana, who is in Bangkok for her surgery, also spoke to the Egyptian Foreign Minister from there.

Similarly, Foreign Minister also asked for support from a US official regarding Bipin’s release. At that time, Minister Dr. Rana had also made the same request to leaders and ministers of various countries who had come to participate in the Raisina Dialogue, India.

She also informed that Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli had drawn their attention to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Said Hussein Khalil, who are taking initiatives for peace in the Middle East, over the phone.

Minister Dr. Rana said that the Nepalese government is making every possible effort to prioritize this issue and expressed special gratitude to the Israeli government, Israeli citizens, Nepalis living there and the world community for their efforts in securing Bipin’s release.

Stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working tirelessly to secure the early release of Bipin Joshi, who is being held by Hamas, and that this is the responsibility of the Nepali government. Foreign Minister Dr. Rana also informed that Bipin’s mother and sister have recently reached Israel in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Israeli government, and that they have met with the Israeli President and appealed for Bipin’s release.