Continued a balanced and independent foreign policy: Minister Khadka

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Narayan Khadka has said that safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence, and protection of national interest has been at the core of Nepal’s foreign policy all along.

Addressing the Prof YN Khanal Lecture Series organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital today, he said that Nepal will continue to be committed to a balanced and independent foreign policy based on national interests. It is on this basis that Nepal has been developing friendly and good relations with its neighbours and other countries.

He emphasized the need to work together to address the common challenges facing the rest of the world in the face of increasing human and economic losses caused by the recent Russia-Ukraine war.

The keynote speaker at the program, Prof Surya Prasad Subedi, said Nepal could consider moving towards adopting a policy of permanent neutrality similar to that pursued by Switzerland for the benefit of the Nepali people and those of the wider Hindu Kush Himalaya Belt."Given the unfolding new dynamics of international relations, this region may once again be drawn into the conflict over the expansion of the spheres of influence of different international acts. Therefore many of the foreign policy challenges for Nepal are as great today as they have been in the past."

Dr Subedi, a Visiting Professor at Oxford University, said that there is every prospect of more prosperity for Nepal, provided that the country is able to put in place sensible policies designed to exploit its comparative advantage and its geostrategic status.

The foreign policy of Nepal must have a global outlook, it must go beyond its preoccupation with the management of relations with its two immediate neighbours. There is potential for Nepal to gain power and influence in regional politics and make inroads into global politics.

Former Foreign Ministers Dr Bheikh Bahadur Thapa, Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, Sujata Koirala, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, diplomats, representatives of diplomatic missions and representatives of various sectors of the society participated in the program.

Secretary at the Ministry, Bharatraj Poudyal, shared that such lecture would be conducted once a year for discussion on regional knowledge enhancement, existing policies and practices.

Professor Yedu Nath Khanal, a well-known diplomat served as the secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also as ambassador to China, India and the United States. The ministry has started this lecture series in his name and honour.