Kathmandu: Soon after the US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma wrapped up his one day trip to Nepal (August 16-17), Nepal’s foreign minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba wrote on X : “Thank you @DepSecStateMR and the US Department of State for the generous gift of 2 Skytrucks and 2 additional Bell helicopters to support disaster management efforts in Nepal.”
It appeared that Verma offered these gifts during the visit to Nepal.
But the official statement from the State Department released on the same day (August 17) had no mention of the generous gift Arzu Deuba was talking about. The statement said: “In his meetings with Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, Deputy Secretary Verma emphasized the United States’ commitment to strengthening Nepal’s disaster response and air capabilities. Deputy Secretary Verma shared the United States’ intention to provide $100 million in Foreign Military Finance to support Nepal’s rotary wing capabilities, pending Congressional review and availability of funds.”
So are the two skytrucks and two helicopters the foreign minister mentioned as a ‘generous gift’ part of the 100 million dollar funding? Did Verma really say the US will give “2 Skytrucks and 2 additional Bell helicopters”? Could the message have been misconstrued by the Nepal foreign minister?
It appears that Nepali foreign minister was thanking Richard Verma and the Department of State for the support that the US had agreed to provide to Nepal in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Responding to queries by The DMN News, the US embassy in Kathmandu said that the US has committed to three different Department of State grants providing aircraft to Nepal to support in disaster recovery and relief efforts. “In 2021, the United States agreed to provide two M28 Skytrucks worth approximately $37 million by January 2025. These are short take-off and landing, fixed wing planes. One of them is a dedicated air ambulance, the first of its kind. The assistance includes training for pilots and maintainers, as well as parts support,” the embassy said. “ In 2022, the United States agreed to provide Nepal with two Bell 412 helicopters, which will be delivered in the next few years, worth $44 million including pilot training, maintainer training, and logistics support.”
Together, this makes for 81 million dollars worth of support to Nepal.
So what about $100 million in Foreign Military Finance? According to the embassy, that’s an additional grant. During his visit, Verma announced that “the United States has now also committed to providing another $100 million in grant assistance for additional helicopters, training and support equipment, pending congressional notification and funds availability,” according to the embassy.
The $ 100 million grant is a new commitment which is yet to be notified to the US Congress and which will be provided to Nepal if funds are available.
“Both governments are working together to ensure that the aircraft are built and customized to meet Nepal’s unique needs for disaster relief and recovery efforts,” the embassy said.
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