Trump’s Special Envoy Gor Arrives in Kathmandu Today, Meeting with Prime Minister Uncertain

Kathmandu — US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, is arriving in Kathmandu on Thursday evening for a three-day visit. Gor, who also serves as the US Ambassador to India, is coming to Nepal via New Delhi after completing visits to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Kazakhstan.

The visit, said to be focused on investment and economic cooperation, includes scheduled meetings with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal. However, no time has yet been set for a meeting with Prime Minister Balen Shah, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Sources say a request was made on Gor’s behalf for a meeting, but no response has been received.

This follows a similar pattern from 10 days ago, when US Assistant Secretary of State Sameer Paul Kapur also did not meet with Prime Minister Shah during his three-day visit. Since Shah’s appointment as Prime Minister on Chait 13, his secretariat has maintained that the Prime Minister will not hold meetings with officials junior to prime ministers and ministers of other countries. Although Gor is an ambassador, his status as a special envoy is considered equivalent to that of a minister.

Meanwhile, Portugal’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ana Isabel Xavier, also arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday night for a three-day visit.