US Assistant Secretary of State Sameer Paul Kapur has returned to Washington DC after completing his Nepal visit focused on the political, economic priorities of ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and bilateral relations.
While in Kathmandu, he met with RSP President Rabi Lamichhane, Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle, and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, and interacted with information technology (IT) entrepreneurs.
However, Kapur did not meet with Prime Minister Balen Shah. Earlier, the US officials used to meet with the Prime Minister during their Nepal visits.
The US diplomat also met with the 'Select-USA' Investment Summit delegation and held detailed discussions on trade and investment with Finance Minister Dr Wagle.
The US Embassy has stated that Kapur’s visit to Nepal was fruitful in strengthening Nepal-US relations. "Kapur has brought together US and Nepali private sector partners to explore opportunities for further collaboration in Nepal’s emerging and dynamic technology sector," the embassy stated.
While in Kathmandu, he visited Boudhanath and Patan Durbar Square. The US has been helping to preserve the heritage of those places.
US President Donald Trump had removed Donald Luke, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, in October 2025. He appointed Kapur in his place. Born in New Delhi, India, Kapur is a US Assistant Secretary of State with a good understanding of the ground realities of South Asian affairs and the ability to analyze them.
He is the senior US official to visit Nepal after the formation of the government led by Balen Shah.
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