KATHMANDU, April 2: Ranjit Rae, Indian ambassador to Nepal, has defended the joint statement by the European Union and India, which has sparked controversy here and prompted the Nepal Government to issue its own statement saying the joint statement has 'hurt the sentiments of Nepal'.
Speaking to journalists at the embassy premises on Friday, Indian ambassador Rae said the mention of Nepal in the joint statement following the 13th EU-India Summit on Wednesday was 'only a reference to Nepal's cabinet decision of December 2015."I do not understand why this is a big deal for Nepal as this is just a reiteration of the decision of Nepal Government," said the Indian envoy, referring to a cabinet decision of December 22 to address the demands of the Madhes-based political parties.
"Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli recently said that all the misunderstandings have been cleared away. And, suddenly there is this furious response. What is the logic? We are quite bewildered," he added.
Earlier, on December 22, 2015, the government had decided to form a high-level political mechanism to redraw the provinces in the federal set-up, along with amending the new constitution to address the other demands of the Madhes-based parties.
The joint statement stated that the two sides "agreed on the need for a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal." The statement also added that such a settlement should address the remaining constitutional issues in a time-bound manner, and promote political stability and economic growth.
Nepal has taken exception to the joint statement. Issuing a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said that the joint statement "not only hurts the sentiments of the people of Nepal but also defies the fundamental principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a country, and is in breach of the UN Charter and the norms of international law."
However, Indian ambassador Rae thinks that the reference to Nepal in the statement should not be interpreted as an infringement on sovereignty. "During such a summit, it's obvious that the countries will discuss about their foreign policy, regional and other international issues. Not only Nepal, issues of other countries like Pakistan and Maldives also featured in the joint statement," he added.
RAE FOR PUBLIC DEBATE ABOUT SOVEREIGNITY
Indian ambassador Rae has also said that there should be a public debate on sovereignty. "Whenever there is discussion about Nepal and India relationship, the issue of sovereignty props up. I think you (Nepal) should have public debate on sovereignty," he said. "Many countries have been advancing toward development, but why not Nepal? You cannot blame India, China or other countries. I think there is some problem why development is not taking place and you should discuss about what is the policy that is best for Nepal.
"Sovereignty should be defined in positive way, not in a negative way," said Indian envoy Rae.
He also reiterated the position of India vis-a-vis Nepal's new constitution. "Our position is consistent. We had welcomed your cabinet decision. There is no changes in our position," he said.
Immediately after the cabinet decided to address the demands of the Madesh agitation, India had issued a statement welcoming the developments and normalized supplies from across the border which were unofficially blocked by the Indian government for nearly four months. Though the Indian government only 'noted' the promulgation of Nepal's new constitution, it had welcomed the subsequent cabinet decision to amend it "Government of India welcomes these developments as positive steps that help create the basis for a resolution of the current impasse in Nepal," reads the statement issued after the cabinet decision to address the demands of the Madhesi parties.
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