Govt launches integrated Foreign Policy

Kathmandu, Dec. 6

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has launched the Foreign Policy, 2020 integrating the bits and pieces of the scattered diplomatic practices across the sectors ranging from defense to United Nations.

This will be the main policy of the country’s foreign relations, and other sectorial policies would be formulated or amended as per its spirit.

The policy is the synthesis of various past practices such as the National Main Policy of the Panchayat era and reports of the commissions like task force led by Murari Raj Sharma in post-2006 change and commission led by Prof. Shreedhar Khatri in 2015.

It has taken references from the past study reports as well as National Dialogue on Foreign Policy organised last year. The policy is also the product of the consultation of Buddha’s teaching on peace and non-violence, Prithvi Narayan Shah’s Dibyopadesh on geopolitical considerations and demographic diversity in the country.

This is the first time that the government has brought out integrated foreign policy for the country. “The main aim of the policy is to protect and promote the national interest. The country needs a policy that can define its role in the changed geopolitical and global political context,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at a programme organised at the ministry to launch the policy and annual report of the MoFA.

The Cabinet had endorsed the document on October 20.

According to Minister Gyawali, the new policy has offered the policy requirement needed for the relations with the immediate neighbours to the multilateral organisations like the United Nations, and track-two diplomacy.

It aims at expanding and strengthening the bilateral relations with all friendly countries including the immediate neighbours on the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefits.

“Nepal’s international borders would be kept intact. The border issues would be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means on the basis of historical agreements, treaties and evidences,” it read.

Bilateral treaties and agreements with the neighbours and other friendly countries would be reviewed and amended in the national interest and new treaties would be signed as per the need. Current commerce, transit, railway service, trade and payment and transportation agreements and treaties would be amended as per the changing national and international scenario.

Likewise, the policy aims at emphasizing the United Nation’s central role in multilateral diplomacy to make contribution in the promotion of world peace, human rights and sustainable development.

“Collaboration with the international community would be forged for the complete disarmament of atomic, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction,” read the policy. It also includes a provision for the solidarity and cooperation with the international community against all forms of terrorism and extremism.

Enhancing Nepal’s role in international platforms like the UN Human Rights Commission and forums of landlocked and least developed countries, and playing effective role in the reduction of greenhouse gas and adaption to combat the challenges pose by climate change and its negative impacts are also the policy priorities.

The country will play an active role in making the international immigration safe, reliable, systematic and respectful and forge cooperation with other nations for the same.

“We are for the rule-based global system, the current deal-based system would be detrimental for the interest of the small nations. Therefore, the policy aims at rule-based, just, inclusive and human-centric world system,” said FM Gyawali.

In terms of the regional cooperation, the policy aims at increasing the regional interdependency and interconnectivity to achieve development and prosperity.

Similarly, it has duly recognised the importance of the foreign policy in the mobilisation of foreign economic and development cooperation, foreign direct investment, export trade and tourism promotion which are fundamental for the development and prosperity of the country.

Managing the foreign employment, utilising the knowledge, skill, capital, technology and access of migrant Nepalis in economic development of the country, protecting the interest of Nepali nationals in foreign land, and application of track-two diplomacy are in the priority.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, FM Gyawali said that Nepal had boldly pushed for the summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and hoped to make it happen.

He also stated that the practice of multiple centres of diplomacy would be discouraged through the implementation of the Diplomatic Code of Conduct.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 December 2020.