Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali supports reactivation of SAARC
The 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad was called off in 2016, following the boycott by India due to the terrorist attack at the Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir.
On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Nepal starting Friday, Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali in an exclusive interview with WION stressed that his country wants to pursue an independent foreign policy and is keen to invite investments both from India and China.
Gyawali supported the idea of reactivating the eight-member SAARC. The 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad was called off in 2016, following the boycott by India due to the terrorist attack at the Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. As the current chairman of the group, the Nepal FM said that he has asked concerned governments to cooperate in activating the SAARC and exploring new ideas to rebuild trust in the region.
He also said that the seven-nation Bay of Bengal initiative BIMSTEC, which includes — Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal cannot be an alternative to SAARC. "We are careful about existing differences between the concerned countries. We cannot compare SAARC and BIMSTEC," he added. He, however, called for an end to terrorism, saying there was no justification for the menace.
Asked about his country's increasing cosiness with Beijing which is ringing alarm bells in New Delhi, Gyawali said Nepal wants to increase connectivity with both countries. He also described Pakistan as a friendly country, saying they share similar views on many things. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was the first head of government who arrived in Kathmandu on March 4 to congratulate his counterpart KP Sharma Oli after he assumed office.
On India-Nepal relations, Gyawali lamented that previous agreements were not implemented as per their expectations and trade between the two countries was far behind their potential. He argued that the India Nepal Friendship treaty should be changed according to new realities by incorporating new elements.
Meanwhile, PM Modi, who will arrive in Kathmandu on Friday, will also visit Muktinath and Janakpur, besides laying the foundation of Arun-III power project, which is the biggest hydel project being built in Nepal. He will depart from Patna on an Indian Air force helicopter and will land at Janakpur's Baarhabigha airport. He will address a public rally in Jankapur to announce the launch of Ramayan Circuit. In Mustang, Modi will visit Muktinath, which is a sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists. His visit comes a little over a month after Prime Minister Oli visited India.