Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has said that Nepal has given top priority to the Asian Cooperation Dialogue. Nepal accords top priority to regional initiatives including the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

He was speaking at the conference of ministers of Asian countries held at the United Nations headquarters on Wednesday. Minister Saud also added that Nepal is ready to work with all members of the ACD in accordance with its objectives and agree to successfully implement the key issues it has adopted. Nepal became a member of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue on March 2016.

The ACD was established in June 2002 in Cha-Am, Thailand, where 18 Asian Foreign Ministers met together for the first time. The ACD is a continent-wide forum, the first of its kind in Asia, which aims to constitute the missing link in Asia by incorporating every Asian country and building an Asian Community without duplicating other organizations or creating a bloc against others.

A key principle is to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia’s competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources evident in Asia. The core values of the ACD are positive thinking; informality; voluntarism; non-institutionalization; openness; respect for diversity; the comfort level of member countries; and the evolving nature of the ACD process, it is stated in the official website of the regional body.