Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushila Karki held a telephone conversation with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani today.

In a telephone call to his Qatari counterpart Al-Thani today, Prime Minister Karki expressed concern over the recent developments in the West Asia region.

On behalf of the Government and people of Qatar, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude on behalf of the Government and people of Qatar for providing safety and protection to the 3.60 lakh Nepali citizens in Qatar.

“Currently, approximately 360,000 Nepalese are living and working in the State of Qatar. I am very happy to hear that they are safe and well cared for. We express our sincere gratitude to you and your government for taking care of our people. ”

Stating that Nepal was closely observing the developments in the West Asia region, he said Nepal was of the view that all sides concerned should remain calm, not to further escalate the conflict and security of its citizens.

She said Nepal stressed the need for all countries to respect and abide by the UN Charter, international law, the Geneva Convention and humanitarian law.

Stating that war is no alternative to peace in any pretext, he said the long-term peace would be ensured only through dialogue and diplomacy.

She also expressed her confidence that the bilateral relations between the two countries would be further strengthened in the coming days through the exchange of high-level visits, economic and cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts.

In the telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Karki expressed solidarity with the situation in Qatar and expressed deep concern at the attacks on Qatar’s sovereign territories, especially against civilian sites. She expressed confidence that Qatar would be able to cope with the current situation with a constructive role.

The Qatari Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Al-Thani praised the cordial, deep and friendly relations between Nepal and Qatar.

The Nepali nationals in Qatar have made a lot of contribution and said that the government would provide security and protection to them at par with the citizens of Qatar in the present situation.

“The current situation is unfortunate,” she said, adding that the country is only trying to protect sovereignty and land or self-defence. “Qatar has always been a champion of peace and is opposed to such actions,” she said.

She also thanked Nepal for its friendship and solidarity at this difficult time.