Kathmandu, Dec. 6 -- A government minister has positively responded to the United States' State Partnership Program under the Indo-Pacific Strategy at a time when Kathmandu has been rejecting any role and engagement in the US-led policy that encompasses cooperation in areas of trade, energy, infrastructure, commerce and connectivity.

During a meeting with visiting US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Ishwar Pokhrel said Nepal was positively considering becoming part of the SPP under the Indo-Pacific Strategy.

In the first week of June, the US Department of Defense released an Indo-Pacific Strategy report that categorically mention...