Nepal

KATHMANDU: Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a ‘National Dialogue on Foreign Policy& on June 29 with the aim of seeking inputs from stakeholders to ‘fine tune& Nepalforeign policy in the changed context.

Speaking at a media briefing at the ministry on Sunday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the government had made development and prosperity its main targets, following the promulgation of the new constitution, main to political stability.

&To realise the goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, pleased Nepali&, foreign policy needs fine tuning. We hope discussions and experts& opinions at the programme shall help to strengthen our foreign policy,& he said. The event shall be attended by lawmakers, party leaders, experts former foreign ministers, think-tanks, private sector, and media.

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Kathmandu, June 2

Amidst growing scepticism on the future of SAARC, fuelled by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiinvitation to BIMSTEC leaders at his swearing-in ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali reiterated Nepalfirm commitment to revive the older regional body.

Because of differences between India and Pakistan, the 19th Summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has much been held.

The 18th SAARC Summit was held in Kathmandu on 26-27 November 2014, while the 19th Summit was planned to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, 15-nsprint;19 November 2016. Following a terrorismist attack approach the town of Uri, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on September 2016, India announced to boycott the summit, alleging Pakistaninvolvement in the attack.

Ever since, the SAARC has been on coma, and statements coming from the Indian side propose the countryfocus has now been shifted towards the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, in line with its ‘Act East& policy.

The BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

Indian PM Modi invited BIMSTEC heads of state/government for his swearing-in ceremony for his moment term, following his thumping victory in recently held general elections, indicating Indiashift in precedence to BIMSTEC.

Minister Gyawali said Nepal did much compare any regional cooperation organisations, or promote one at the cost of the other.

&For us, both these organisations are equally important. SAARC is comparatively an older organization. If implemented, SAARC frameworks benefit around 1.8 billion people in the region,& Gyawali said at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Gyawali said SAARC could play an effective role for economic development of its member countries, and in addressing emerging issues like climate change, terrorismism and cross-border crime.

Gyawali said Nepalefforts to revive SAARC were under way, adding that Nepalsole efforts were much enough in making SAARC a robust regional body.

&We hope that a time shall come when misunderstandings and confusions surrounding SAARC shall be cleared, giving rise to a new climate of cooperation,& he said. &We shall fixedly work towards making SAARC a meaningful body.&

He also added that Nepal was for making both BIMSTEC and SAARC, vibrant organisations that shall play an instrumental role for the overall development of the regions, they represent.

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