Balanced relations with both India and China: Foreign Minister Dr Khadka

Published On: September 22, 2021 05:27 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Sept 22: The newly-appointed Foreign Minister Dr Narayan Khadka has said that he will work toward maintaining balanced relations with both India and China.

Talking to media persons after assuming office as the foreign minister on Wednesday afternoon, Minister Dr Khadka said that he will work toward ensuring extremely cordial, friendly, amicable and balanced relations with both the immediate neighbors — India and China. Arguing that the foreign policy of a country is not specific to any one particular political party, Minister Dr Khadka said that he will work toward forging national consensus with other political parties on the matters of foreign relations.

Minister Dr Khadka also said that the issue of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact Agreement will also be resolved keeping in view the country's larger national interests. He also said that the MCC Compact Agreement will be carefully reviewed in the light of some controversies surfaced around the agreement and a decision will be taken accordingly.

On the occasion, Minister Dr Khadka also announced plans to transform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into a more dynamic institution equipped with modern technologies. He said that the appointment of new ambassadors will begin after his return to Nepal from the United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, a Nepali delegation led by Minister Dr Khadka is leaving for New York to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) being held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Minister Dr Khadka is scheduled to address the General Debate of the 76th UNGA under the theme of Building resilience through hope- to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations.” He will also participate in ministerial meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and officials of the United Nations.

Other members of the delegation include Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal among other senior officials of the Government of Nepal, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amrit Bahadur Rai and officials from the Nepali Mission in New York as well as Consulate General of Nepal in New York.