Meeting with Susan Grace, HE the Ambassador of Australia

Meeting with Susan Grace, HE the Ambassador of Australia

Executive Director, Dr., Rishi Raj Adhikari met Susan Grace, HE the Ambassador of Australia to Nepal on October 15, 2012 at her office in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu.

The meeting centered on the role of IFA and possible collaboration and cooperation between Australian Embassy and IFA. Dr. Adhikari briefed her Excellency on the role of IFA to act as repository of knowledge on foreign policy and its policy feedback to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also appraised her on IFA role on training Ministry officials on various aspects to make them ready to take up assignments abroad. The attempts to expand the IFA office facilities, staffing, and training facilities in terms of training hall and equipments and hostel were also discussed. He presented his views on strengthening IFA to include other issues of strategic interests to Nepal in addition to diplomacy and foreign policy. He requested Her Excellency to link IFA with her counterpart organizations in Australia. He proposed Australian embassy and IFA to jointly work on relevant issues in the days to come.

Her Excellency, on her part, was very positive on the issue of collaboration on various aspects of IFA activities. She also promised to link IFA with corresponding organizations in Australia such as Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy (APCD) under Australian National University, Lowy Institute and Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA).