Sharing views on common interest and issues usual, clarifies MoFA

Kathmandu, September 19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today claimed that sharing views and taking common positions with other countries on pressing international issues was not a great deal.

Referring to media criticism on the Nepal-India joint statement issued during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s India visit last week, MoFA said that Nepal, earlier as well, had been cooperating and coordinating with neighbouring countries, including India and China as well as with other countries on global issues of mutual interest.

The ministry further stated that Nepal had already pledged to India support for her efforts to secure a permanent seat in the United Nation Security Council.

The promise was also mentioned in a joint statement issued following a Joint Commission meeting between the then Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on July 26, 2014, the MoFA stated in a statement today.

The ministry also made it clear that the purpose of the oversight mechanism comprising senior officials from the Nepali side and officials of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu was to review progress in ongoing bilateral economic and development projects on a regular basis and to take necessary steps towards their speedy implementation.

A section of Nepali media and intelligentsia had questioned the intent of point 11 and 13 of the joint statement, which had stated ‘holding similar views on major international issues’ and setting up a joint ‘oversight mechanism’ to review progress on bilateral joint venture projects, respectively.