This is the first foreign policy document after Oli-led government came to power in 2018
KATHMANDU, Dec 6: The government has made public a new foreign policy document on Sunday.
Amid a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the Foreign Minister, unveiled Nepal's guiding document on foreign policy. This is the first document on foreign policy since the Oli-led government came to power in February 2018.
According to the new foreign policy, the country will conduct its independent and balanced ties with neighboring countries based on the principles of the UN Charter, Panchsheel, and good neighborliness.
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Nepal will expand and enhance its ties with neighboring and other friendly countries based on sovereignty equality, mutual respect and benefit, read the policy.
The policy states that Nepal's border will be kept intact by protecting international border points. "Boundary issues will be resolved through peaceful diplomatic means and dialogue based on treaties, agreements, historic documents, evidence and facts," read the foreign policy document.
The policy aims to secure the country's national interests by deepening mutual cooperation with all friendly countries.
The policy also reiterates Nepal's long-standing policy of not allowing its soil to be used against neighboring countries and other countries, while expecting similar cooperation and commitment from them.
During the press conference, Minister Gyawali said that the ministry lead the effort to bring the new foreign policy document because matters relating to foreign policy conduct were expressed in one way or the other in the country's various policy documents, including constitution, national security policy, annual budget, prime ministerial speeches and other policy documents, and there was a lack of an integrated foreign policy document.
"Matters relating to foreign policy conduct were scattered in our national documents. We had a foreign policy. Various task forces were also formed to bring foreign policy documents in different times. But there was not an integrated one like what we have brought now," he said. He also said that non-alignment will remain one of the integral parts of Nepal's foreign policy. "We feel that the Non-aligned Movement is still relevant for small countries like us," he added.
The government introduced the new foreign policy document in light of regional and global changes, Minister Gyawali added.
Read the document here:
