After Kapur, Now Sergio: A Parade of U.S. Envoys to Nepal, Trump Confidant Set for Four-Day Visit, Possible Meeting with Prime Minister

Kathmandu — Sergio Gore, Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and U.S. Ambassador to India, is set to visit Nepal. Regarded as one of President Donald Trump’s trusted confidants, Gore will arrive directly in Nepal from India on Baisakh 17 and is scheduled to stay for four days.

In the context of Ambassador Gore’s Nepal visit, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Nepali Embassy in India, Dr. Surendra Thapa, held a meeting with Jason Meeks, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in India. According to sources at the Nepali Embassy, the two discussed matters related to Ambassador Gore’s visit to Nepal.

During his stay, Gore is reportedly expected to meet with Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen). Sources indicate that a meeting between Gore and Balen has been tentatively scheduled for Jestha 1. However, the Prime Minister’s Office has yet to confirm whether the meeting will take place. A member of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat stated, “No program has been arranged for Prime Minister Balen to meet with the U.S. Ambassador based in India, and no information on the matter has been received so far.”

Just days earlier, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, S. Paul Kapur, who visited Nepal, had also intended to meet with Prime Minister Balen. However, the meeting did not materialize after the Prime Minister’s Office failed to allocate time. Nevertheless, since Gore holds a higher rank than Kapur, the possibility of a meeting between Balen and Gore is considered likely. Assistant Secretary Kapur had arrived in Nepal on Baisakh 7 and departed on Baisakh 9. During his visit, he met with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, and Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane.

After the United States recalled its Ambassador to Nepal, Dean Thompson, Ambassador Gore has been overseeing Nepal affairs from India. Nepal has been without a U.S. ambassador for four months. Although Scott Urbom serves as the Chargé d’Affaires, all key matters concerning Nepal have been handled by U.S. Ambassador to India Gore. A diplomat remarked, “He is coming because Ambassador Gore has been handling Nepal affairs; this is nothing extraordinary. He could have come during Kapur’s visit, but perhaps he did not because Gore is senior to Kapur. Now he is coming.”

Those familiar with the matter note that Gore, who previously worked in President Trump’s secretariat, is undertaking this visit not merely as an ambassador but in the capacity of Trump’s envoy. An expert on Nepal’s geopolitical affairs stated, “This is not like Kapur’s visit. His visit will determine many things.”