MOSCOW, MAY 18
The Russian Federation has said it attaches great importance to its relationship with Nepal and wants to further bolster it for the broader benefit of both countries.
An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said the relationship between Russia and Nepal, which had been moving forward seamlessly for more than six decades, would not be disturbed by trivial matters and minor irritants.
Despite the trying times back home since February 24 last year, Russian envoy to Nepal Aleksei Novikov generously hosted a trip to Moscow and St Petersburg.
The motive of the trip was to have first-hand information and learn about the ground realities following the 'special military operation in Ukraine.' In a brief interview with RSS, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department Sergey Nalobin said the past mutual cooperation between Nepal and Russia and Russia's support for Nepal's development endeavours would not be forgotten.
"We want Nepal to respect our bilateral relations, our cooperation and longstand-ing friendship," he said. He also expressed readiness to extend every possible support to Nepal in her quest of development.
"Be it food, fertiliser, or fuel, we are ready to extend our helping hand.
We've not received any formal request from your government so far," he shared.
Deeply disappointed by Nepal's vote against Russia in the United Nations on its special operation in Ukraine, he said Russia would respect the nonaligned foreign policy that Nepal had been pursuing for long.
Though he did not categorically mention Nepal's role in the UN vote, he hinted that taking the side of the US in the context of the special operation in Ukraine was beyond Moscow's imagination.
Nepal, which adheres to the principle of non-alignment and neutrality in its foreign policy, has been continuously condemning Russia's operation on Ukraine. However, Nepal was absent during the recent voting on the proposal that Russia should be removed from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
"Despite growing pressure, Nepal did not support financial and economic sanctions against Russia," he noted.
"We appreciate your good attitude towards the Russian Federation and your interest in developing cooperation," he added.
He further said, "As we live in the digital era and flow of fake news has become a major challenge, it should be discouraged with all the means backed by facts and figures."
"American and European media agencies are giving one-sided news. You should not rely only on them. We are ready to provide accurate information," he viewed.
"The Western countries led by the United States, which have unleashed today's hybrid war, no longer hide their true and long-cherished goals of 'bringing Russia to its knees,' trampling on our human values, dismembering and destroying our homeland as a subject of international relations," he lamented.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 19, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
