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Report on Nepal’S Foreign Affairs (2019-2020) Report on Nepal’s Foreign Affairs (2019-2020) Government of Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Go to content page Go to content page Report on Nepal’s Foreign Affairs (2019-2020) Government of Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Previous page Next page Go to content page Go to content page Editorial Team Nirmal Raj Kafle, Joint Secretary Kumar Raj Kharel, Joint Secretary Ram Prasad Subedi, Joint Secretary Ananda Prasad Sharma, Under Secretary Bishnu Prasad Gautam, Under Secretary Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, Under Secretary Kiran Shakya, Under Secretary Published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Government of Nepal Singh Durbar, Kathmandu August 2020 Design & Layout Bikram Shrestha, Information Technology Officer (The map placed on the cover page may not be in scale.) Copyright: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo courtesy: Government of Nepal, except otherwise mentioned This publication is also available at the Ministry’s website: www.mofa.gov.np. Previous page Next page Report on Nepal’s Foreign Affairs (2019-2020) |3 Go to content page Go to content page Pradeep Kumar Gyawali Minister for Foreign Affairs Message Nepal’s foreign policy is characterised by both continuity and change. As guided by the Constitution, the time-honoured principles of Pachasheel, non-alignment, the UN Charter, international law and norms of world peace make the fundamental basis of Nepal’s foreign policy. In pursuit of national interest, policies have to adapt to the changing political or economic contexts as well as the unforeseen exigencies relating to public health, ecology or technology. The second half of the period under review in this Annual Report saw a similar shift, with the outbreak of COVID-19 impacting on the country’s priorities and resources. In support of the national fight against the pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs geared all its efforts towards ensuring safety, security and wellbeing of Nepali nationals living abroad. In these efforts, the specific concerns and vulnerabilities of migrant workers continue to be high on our agenda. The Ministry initiated virtual conversations with high-level leaders of the Gulf region and other countries with sizeable numbers of Nepali migrant workers. I am pleased to mention also that the Ministry has initiated compiling national policies relating to Nepal’s foreign relations. The draft, prepared after inter-agency consultations, will come out in a consolidated form as ‘the Foreign Policy of Nepal’ upon approval of the Government of Nepal. Also during the reporting period, important achievements have been made towards diversifying and strengthening Nepal’s bilateral relations as well as in regional and multilateral engagements. Our relations with immediate neighbours, India and China, have expanded manifold in political, economic, social and cultural spheres. The relations with extended neighbourhood, development partners and destination countries for migrant workers have remained cordial and cooperative. It goes without saying that our interactions with the neighbouring India and China Previous page Next page 4 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Go to content page Go to content page date back to time immemorial. As in the past years, the multi-faceted cooperation founded on civilizational linkages and people-to-people contacts witnessed a steady growth during the year under review. The Prime Ministers of Nepal and India accelerated the friendly exchanges that they had set in motion since the assumption of their respective offices. Telephone conversations and virtual inauguration of the Indian-assisted Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline and the Integrated Check Post in Biratnagar are the examples. Minister for External Affairs of India S. Jaishankar and I co-chaired the fifth Joint Commission in August last year, in which we reviewed the overall status of our bilateral relations and agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, transit, investment and development partnership. I am confident that the outstanding border issue will be resolved soon through constructive dialogue and on the basis of historical treaty, evidences and facts. Similarly, our relations with China have further strengthened with the historic visit of President Xi Jinping to Nepal, presenting new opportunities for expanding and deepening the areas of cooperation. The elevation of the relationship to Strategic Partnership of Cooperation Featuring Ever-lasting Friendship for Development and Prosperity marks the beginning of a new era in Nepal-China relations. The Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network will offer an important platform to Nepal to pursue its development endeavours. The visit of President Rt. Hon. Bidya Devi Bhandari to Myanmar and Japan added a new dimension to our relations with these countries. Relations with Bangladesh were further consolidated with the incoming visit of the President of Bangladesh. Engagements with other friendly countries including development partners and labour destination countries also remained broad, vibrant and cooperative. As the official visit of a foreign minister, my own tour of the Russian Federation in November last year had taken after a long gap. On the regional front, as the current Chair to the SAARC, we have consistently emphasized how important it is to revitalise the stalled SAARC processes. I am encouraged by the sentiments echoed by fellow foreign ministers, during the Informal Meetings held every year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, that there should be no delay for the next Summit. SAARC and BIMSTEC are the principal vehicles for regional cooperation in our region. Following the successful Kathmandu Summit, we look forward to a productive outcome in the next BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Sri Lanka early next year. Nepal’s commitment to multilateralism is total. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Nepal’s trust on the Bandung Principles at the 18th NAM Summit. In the 74th UN General Assembly, my stress as the leader of Nepali delegation was towards reaffirming Nepal’s positions on peace and development. Nepal’s solidarity to major Previous page Next page Report on Nepal’s Foreign Affairs (2019-2020) |5 Go to content page Go to content page agendas, including peacekeeping, universal health coverage, climate action and financing for development, is unreserved. The Government of Nepal continued to assume important responsibilities in various global processes, most importantly in the UN Human Rights Council. It has lived up to the commitments made in multilateral forums by translating them into action. Such engagements have enhanced the nation’s visibility and credibility in the international arena. Sagarmatha Sambaad, a global dialogue forum, was created for deliberations on the world’s pressing issues. Its first edition was scheduled for April 2020 under the theme ‘Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity’. In spite of overwhelming support, the Sambaad had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry is working on rescheduling it once the situation becomes normal. Due to the deadly virus, our immediate focus is on repatriation of Nepali nationals facing difficulties abroad. The Nepali missions abroad have remained assiduous in discharging their duties for safety and wellbeing of the Nepali diaspora. At the same time, Nepal participated in a number of virtual high-level meetings for mustering political will at the global level and pooling requisite resources in fighting the pandemic and minimising its impacts. The pandemic has tested our ability and shown us the fragility of the existing world order. It has exacerbated polarization, jeopardising the multilateral institutions that have been the bedrock of international peace and common prosperity. Protectionist tendencies and narrow nationalism appearing occasionally on the horizon have not subdued even during these trying times. But for building on international solidarity, we have not lost the hope. The commitment and response from global leaders have been encouraging, while the regional and global initiatives continue to strengthen. Nepal views that the pandemic and its impacts can only be addressed through stronger and collective efforts. Our intense participation in and contributions to international deliberations are a reflection of the national commitment for the global cause. With these notes, I thank the Foreign Secretary and the team in the Ministry for bringing out this report. I hope this report will be useful to academics, policymakers, students and general readers in gaining insights into the foreign policy of Nepal. Through this publication, I express my gratitude to all friendly nations, institutions and individuals for the support and solidarity extended to Nepal in every way. Previous page Next page 6 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Go to content page Go to content page Shanker D Bairagi Foreign Secretary Foreword In keeping with our commitment to transparency and the tradition of providing an account of our activities through the year, I am pleased to present this annual report, 2019-20. While the first half of the reporting period was marked by a wide range of diplomatic activities, the second half was and continues to be under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic that is expected to have a profound effect on humankind, and consequently on global governance and diplomacy. I am hopeful that this report, while serving as a record of the Ministry’s initiatives, engagements and achievements of the year, will also provide insights into new, innovative ways of conducting
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