PM urges parties to develop similar foreign policy perspectives

Kathmandu, June 29

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said on Saturday that the economic diplomacy was guiding the political diplomacy.

"Promotion of investment, tourism and economic cooperation have become the priority areas in the foreign affairs policy. In our case too, investment has become the national necessity," he said while addressing the 'National Dialogue on Foreign Policy' organised by the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) with the support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

He said that to achieve the goal of socio-economic and cultural development, national efforts and resources might not be sufficient which had forced the government to seek international support.

However, he said that Nepal should not expect economic cooperation in the form of grant while the loan was also not in the priority. "We prefer Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) over the international grant and loan," the PM said.

 "There is a need to expediting development work and mobilising resources and transfer of technology and skill. FDI will automatically bring in the technology and skill and creates employment."

PM Oli urged all the political parties to have similar views and perspectives regarding the foreign policy of the country. "There can be political and philosophical differences among the political parties, but as a nation we must exercise the same diplomacy," he said.

According to him, promotion of national interest and protection of national pride and dignity were the foundation of Nepal's foreign policy. Relations should be as per the sovereign equality where the meaning and essence of the sovereign states are respected.

"We want every competition to be healthy. The weak and small must not be suffered due to the activities of the strong and big," said PM Oli. "We are for dialogues to resolve any disputes and misunderstandings. We are for the world peace. International peace missions, opposition to the creation, storage and transportation of atomic weapon. 'Friendship with all, enmity with none," he added.

He was hopeful of the implementation of the reports prepared by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations at the earliest.

We are reviewing relations with our neighbours. EPG have prepared a joint report. I am hopeful that there will be an environment to submit the report to the both the governments and we will enter in to the age of executing the recommendations that will redefine the relations between the two neighbours, he said.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that the foreign policy was an extension of domestic policy and the programme was organised to revise the foreign policy in order to make it more effective and result oriented.

"International relations and dynamics are changing rapidly so we need to update our foreign affairs policy," he said.

According to him, the priority of Nepal's foreign policy is important to the relationship with the neighbours and multi-dimensional infrastructural, cultural and economic relations.

Similarly, bilateral labour agreement with the labour destination countries, FDI and tourism, south-south cooperation and high-level bilateral exchanges were other focus areas.

"Now, we are also focusing on the extended neighbourhood policy and trying to forge partnership in economic growth," he said.

Secretary of the MoFA Shankar Das Bairagi said that the foreign affairs policy was not something to be tested time and again. Rather, it should be stable, he stressed.

Former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Finance Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani suggested the government to sign 25-year economic partnership with concrete investments and trade plan and strategies with India and China.

He also recommended making a system of distributing incentives to the Nepali missions abroad and their staff for their contribution in increased number of tourists, and size of trade and investment.

Former Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Swarnim Wagle said that Nepal should be able to anticipate the future opportunities and threats.

He suggested using 'disruptive technology' to give extra impetus to the faster development.

President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Bhawani Rana suggested making the private sector coordination and FDI facilitation integral part of diplomacy.

Former Member of the NPC Dr. Gobinda Nepal said that additional budget should be provided to the missions in key markets to run economic diplomacy.

Economist Dr. Posh Raj Pandey said that the technology transfer should be in affordable price, and trade investment, transit and connectivity development should be the major elements of the economic diplomacy.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 30 June 2019.