Kathmandu, December 18

Madhav Kumar Nepal, former prime minister and senior leader of the CPN-UML, today said the new government to be formed by the left alliance would give continuity to Nepal’s existing foreign policy and work on effective implementation of agreements reached in the past.

He said the new government would adopt the strategy of ‘continuity and change’, whereby it would give continuity to policies of national interest and address any weaknesses in foreign policy.

The former prime minister said the country would adhere to its ideology of non-interference, harmonious relations with all, and not pit one country against another while pursuing its foreign relations.

On neighbourhood policy, Nepal said the government would maintain harmonious relations with both its neighbours — China and India. “We have historically maintained harmonious relations with our two neighbours. Yes, we have seen some ups and downs in the relations, but they were momentary,” said Nepal at an event on ‘BIMSTEC: Perceived Projection’ organised by the Institute of Foreign Affairs, in Kathmandu, today.

Given the fact that Nepal leads the Poverty Alleviation sector among various other sectors of BIMSTEC, the former prime minister said the country should now present a strong example in relation to poverty alleviation, and develop expertise. “For this, we have conducive political environment as the country is now headed towards political stability,” he said.

Addressing the event, Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi said regional cooperation was not a luxury, but a necessity. He said BIMSTEC was of immense importance as it encompassed $2.7 trillion GDP, more than 1.5 billion population and rich culture and civilisation, and added that the regional integration scheme had the potential to become a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Stating that regional cooperation was an integral part Nepal’s foreign policy, Secretary Bairagi said Nepal was playing an active role in BIMSTEC by taking the lead in Poverty Alleviation sector.

He, however, said BIMSTEC was hindered by lack of connectivity and low intra-regional trade. “Connectivity is key to the success of any regional integration scheme,” he said, adding that BIMSTEC was making efforts to address this and several agreements, including the motor vehicle agreement, were on the cards.

The other sectors that Secretary Bairagi underscored as essential for the success of regional integration were technology transfer and ensuring equitable growth of each member state. “It’s time we concentrated on various areas of cooperation seeking concrete results, and implemented the agreements reached in the past,” he said.

Panna Kaji Amatya, Executive Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs, said despite two decades of efforts, BIMSTEC remained one of the least-integrated regions.

Stating that BIMSTEC and SAARC were two different schemes, Amatya said BIMSTEC could become a bridge between SAARC and the rest of Asia. “It’s high time we introspected what should be done to take BIMSTEC ahead successfully,” he said.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is a regional organisation comprising seven member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. The member states include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.