A cross party-delegation from London Borough of Barnet visited the Nepalese city of Pokhara, the borough’s twin since 2021

A group of delegates pose for the camera

A cross-party civic delegation from the London Borough of Barnet has visited the Nepalese city of Pokhara recently to strengthen cultural ties and understanding between the two areas.

Barnet and Pokhara Metropolitan City entered into a twinning city agreement in May 2021.

The six-strong delegation – who all paid for themselves – were invited for a week-long visit by the Mayor of Pokhara, Dhana Raj Acharya. It is the first official delegation from Barnet to visit its ‘twin’.

During their stay in Pokhara, the Barnet delegation visited museums and historical venues such as the World Peace Pagoda and British Army Gurkha Camp, as well as environmental landmarks, charities and public services such as schools and hospitals.

Both sides discussed education, health, tourism, Pokhara’s marathon and explored opportunities that benefit both of our areas. Cllr. Ammar Naqvi said: “We look forward to further promoting collaboration between our two cities and working closely for the benefit of our citizens.”

The delegation were: Cllr Caroline Stock (on behalf of Barnet’s Mayor), Cllr Lachhya Gurung, Cllr Kamal Gurung, Cllr Ammar Naqvi (then Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Arts and Sports and representing the Leader of the Council), Cllr Arjun Mittra and Dr Richard Stock.

The visit was originally proposed by Cllr Lachhya Gurung when he was Deputy Mayor. Both his and Cllr Kamal Gurung’s families originate from Pokhara.

Cllr. Caroline Stock, Mayor of Barnet at the time of the twinning agreement, said: “Twinning seeks to foster cultural exchange and understanding between our different communities. The bond between our towns is hopefully more than symbolic and the fact so many of us are here today from Barnet is evidence of our wish to develop collaborative projects and initiatives where we try and tackle common challenges from sustainable development and environmental conservation to developing relationships with both our younger and older citizens.”

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