Country’s foreign policy will keep up with changing global context: FM Paudyal

 Kathmandu, Feb. 1

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal has said that the government would review the foreign policy of the country with the aim to update it and accommodate the needs in the changed global context.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is in the process of reviewing the foreign policy. Some minor changes could be made considering the changed regional and global scenario," she informed the foreign affairs correspondents at her office in Singhadurbar on Wednesday.

In the first face-to-face interaction with the media, the Minister maintained that a quick consultation round would be made within one-and-a-half months. "We must have a succinct foreign policy so that it could be communicated to all concerned and exercised more effectively," she said.

Likewise, FM Paudyal maintained that reform in passport delivery service is one of her top priorities and the capacity of server would be enhanced to facilitate swift service. For the time being, window of a day to register names and details for passport has been extended to a month.

It will relieve the service seekers from the pressure to enroll their names at the last minutes and provide immediate relief to them and save their time and resources. The hassles in getting registered for a passport have frustrated many while the middlemen have been minting money exploiting the service seekers.

The Minister also pledged for a significant reform at the Department of Passport and process to deliver passport in a week from now.

She also said that for biometric registration in foreign countries, help from the honorary consular generals in respective country could be sought or mobile teams from the missions could also be mobilised at various locations. "We are mulling over these ideas. There is no alternative to providing timely services to our citizens across the globe," said Minister Paudyal, referring to the current problems faced by Nepalis in Portugal.

USA pledges support to Nepal

Meanwhile, she talked about continuing with the trade facilitation that the United States of America has offered to Nepal since the Gorkha Earthquake 2015 to support the country even after the country graduates to a developing country status from the existing Least Developed Country club. Nepal is slated to graduate in 2026. According to her, she talked to Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs of the USA, Victoria Nuland, during her visit to Nepal earlier this week.

LDC graduation is a critical agenda for Nepal since it could lose some of the critical policy facilitation in Europe and America. Nepal has sought support from the USA in the immediate post-upgrade scenario in order to not lose the traditional markets and grant supports.

During the meeting with FM Paudyal, Undersecretary Nuland had informed that the USA is working on a common package to support the LDCs and graduating countries.

FM leaving for Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Ram Prasad Subedi, Joint Secretary of South Asia Division, informed that FM Paudyal will leave for Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 2 to participate in the 75^th Independence Day programme where she will meet Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

She will attend the Independence Day ceremony and reception hosted by the president at the President's House on February 4. FM Paudyal is visiting the SAARC member country at the invitation of her Sri Lankan counterpart M.U.M. Ali Sabry. She will return on 5^th February.

Meeting with envoys

Meanwhile, FM Paudyal, met with the ambassadors of Australia, Switzerland and South Korea for Nepal on Wednesday.

In the courtesy meeting with Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Elisabeth von Kapler, various programme conducted in Nepal under the Swiss Development Cooperation as well as the cooperation between the two countries were discussed, the MoFA said in a statement.

Similarly, issues of mutual cooperation were discussed in the separate meetings with Australian Ambassador to Nepal Felicity Volk and South Korean Ambassador to Nepal Park Chong-Suk, 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 2 February 2023.