Pushing ahead the decision on convening the 19^th SAARC Summit, Gyawali urged India and Pakistan to resolve issues and facilitate ways for conducting the Summit at the earliest possible.

Gyawali raised this issue of long-stalled 19^th SAARC Summit with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj during his recent two-day visit to India.

Gyawali has reportedly made it clear that Nepal, as a SAARC’s current Chair, is not willing to make any further delays in conducting the Summit.

Talking to Indian journalists, Gyawali questioned as to why the two countries could not sit and address the pending issues.

“Nepal is always in favor of broader regional and meaningful cooperation. There is no alternative to sitting together for talks and finding solutions to the problems. If [Donald] Trump and Kim [Jong-un] can meet, then why not countries in our region?” reads Gyawali’s statement.

The 19^th SAARC Summit due in 2016 has been cancelled after New Delhi rejected Pakistan’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SAARC event in Islamabad.

The Background

Paving way for the stalled 19^th SAARC summit, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met Pakistan’s former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani on December 02, 2018.

This discussion took place on the side-lines of Gillani’s Kathmandu visit for the Asia Pacific Summit 2018.

During the meeting, Oli expressed his intention to make South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) effective and get the SAARC summit to commence at the earliest.

“We want to see the SAARC summit convening and handover the chairmanship at the earliest,” read the press statement issued by the Nepal PM Secretariat.

Oli opines that it is high time that the SAARC summit ’s 19^th edition is hosted. The important summit postponement in November 2016 over India-Pakistan indifferences.

In November 2016, Pakistan was supposed to host the summit. However, the meet was cancelled when SAARC nations such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India boycotted stating that they lacked a friendly environment for holding the summit.

Pakistan was held responsible for promoting terrorism, a claim which Pakistan strongly denied.

Following the row, Nepal has been patiently waiting to handover chair to Pakistan and making significant efforts to hold the summit’s next edition there.

According to Nepal PM’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Rajan Bhattarai, Gillani expressed’s commitment to SAARC and its readiness to host the summit.

Besides the SAARC discussion, Oli and Gilani also spoke about strengthening trade and investment among South Asian countries.

Gilani also appreciated Nepal for its efforts on achieving political stability and progress.

Reviving 19th SAARC Summit

Days after the successful 4^th BIMSTEC Summit, Former Nepali PM and Chairman of ruling Communist Party of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) said Nepal was keen on taking ahead the SAARC Summit in its next move.

Prachanda made these sensational statements on the side-lines of his four-day bilateral visit to India in the last week concluding on September 09, 2018.

As part of his four-day visit that he called ‘productive’, the former Nepali PM reportedly expressed his government’s commitment to revive the stalled 19^th SAARC Summit at the earliest possible.

Ruling out misconceptions over BIMSTEC as replacement to SAARC, Prachanda said on September 07, 2018 that SAARC and BIMSTEC support each other and are not substitutes to one another.

“Some of India’s neighbours are jealous about the progress of BIMSTEC. SAARC is not an alternative to BIMSTEC. India has to improve its diplomatic outreach in Nepal backed by timely implementation of bilateral and BBIN projects,” says an expert who closely followed BIMSTEC.

Prachanda had informed that the Pakistan Government already urged India for its decision on rescheduling of the SAARC Summit.

Explaining more on his India visit, Prachanda informed that they discussed various key issues pertaining to Indo-Nepal bilateral ties and the region.

“It is rare to have long discussions with top leaders during bilateral meetings but this time it was a good opportunity for me. I had a discussion with PM Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders on various issues related to the two countries. This has given a very positive message to both countries,” said Prachanda.

Speaking to Nepali media on his return, Prachanda said they also discussed on past leadership agreements agreed upon by India and Nepal along with issues pertaining to trade deficit, cross-border and post-quake reconstruction.

Revival of SAARC gains significance in view of the 4^th BIMSTEC Summit that reportedly addressed some of the key issues that SAARC couldn’t.

Will have to wait to see what the latest Nepal-India bilateral discussions will lead to pertaining to further actions on the 19^th SAARC Summit that was supposed to take place on November 2016 and got postponed due to some reasons.

Nepal is currently the SAARC Chair, which will be handed over to Pakistan in the 19^th SAARC Summit.

Also Read:

• New SAARC Center To Boost Nepali Handicrafts
• Nepal, Pakistan Seek Strong SAARC, Sector-wise Cooperation

The post Post BIMSTEC 2018, Now Nepal Eyes 19th SAARC Summit! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Speaking to Indian media, Indian Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified that Nepal had a strong reason for its absence at the India-proposed drill and said the Indian Government firmly believes in it.

In contrast to widespread media reports, Sitharaman clarified that Nepal did not boycott the exercise and has instead performed its role as an ‘observer’.

This explanation was given from their side to our people. And none of us had reasons to disbelieve it. And, therefore they did not come in full capacity, but they did have a participation as an observer. I respect their feelings. It was not any sort of boycott as projected in some section of media, clarified the Indian Defense Minister.

She further clamped down sensational statements by the Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat who had earlier found serious fault with Nepal’s move in not attending the drill.

“Nepal temporarily could be seen to have tilted towards China, however, geography demands that Nepal has to come to the fold of India ultimately,” the Army Chief said reportedly.

In contrast to Rawat’s statement, Sitharaman said, “The reason why they (Nepal) did not come here — and this is something which I don’t have reason to distrust — I have been told very clearly that the (Army) chief was appointed recently and there were some customary engagements which they take very seriously. It may be something religious, something social, but these commitments were already made, and it was for him (Nepal Army chief) to attend all this before he started fully taking up his assignments,” in a media briefing recently.

India had organized a joint military exercise for the BIMSTEC nations during September 10-15, 2018 at Aundh Military Station near Pune in the Indian State of Maharashtra.

All the BIMSTEC member nations, other than Nepal and Thailand, attended the exercise. This led a serious debate on the absence of Nepal for the drill drawing wide criticism from both sides.

The debate has been taking different turns every now and then, and now with the Indian Defense Minister’s latest statement supporting Nepal and another clarification by a Nepali official that expressed Nepal’s openness to Indian drill are changing the game altogether.

Will have to see what more comes up in the debate!

Also Read:

• 4th BIMSTEC 2018 Summit Concludes with Declaration
• How BIMSTEC 2018 Can Impact Asian, Nepal Geopolitics?
• Nepal Gears up for 4th BIMSTEC Summit

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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli confirmed this in his recent address to Nepali Parliament, couple of days after the BIMSTEC 2018 concluded in Kathmandu.

Addressing the Parliament, PM Oli said the Summit has boosted Nepal’s reputation & abilities while also enhancing the level of reliability of the nation.

“It has been seen that Nepal can hold any kind of program in an organized manner. The Summit was effective and largely successful as it was organized with caution and without any mistake,” read Oli’s statement.

Citing the BIMSTEC 2018 highlights, Oli informed that the event has resulted in a common conclusion with proper direction for all BIMSTEC member states.

He further informed that the Summit formed an effective platform for discussions among heads of the states and governments of the member nations on ways to achieve enhanced bilateral cooperation and fulfil regional interests.

Oli said that the Summit focused on cooperation in core sectors: Tourism & connectivity, energy, power and trade & investment.

The 18-point Declaration also paid high regard to Nepal lauding the Government of Nepal’s efforts in making the BIMSTEC Summit a grand success!

As part of the Summit, the member states agreed upon the 18-point Kathmandu Declaration, which includes:

1. Reviewing of the principles agreed upon in the 1997 Bangkok Declaration and reconsidering peaceful co-existence, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, sovereign equality, territorial integrity and mutual benefit as key to BIMSTEC cooperation
2. Expediting action on the BIMSTEC objectives as embodied in the 1997 Bangkok Declaration and work towards strengthening BIMSTEC as more of an implementation-oriented organization
3. Enhancing BIMSTEC’s capabilities as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia for socio-economic development and peace & prosperity in the region
4. Reiteration to combat terrorism in all forms such as curbing organizations/state & non-state entities/networks funding terrorism, blocking recruitment to terrorism, cross-border movement of terrorists, stopping radicalization and dismantling terrorist hubs, among others through a country-country collaboration and a comprehensive approach
5. Continuing commitment to the core principles and agendas of the Charter of the United Nations and collaborate in all possible forms that can strengthen the multilateral system in addressing the contemporary challenges, globally
6. Decision to form the BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee (BPWC), which will take care of administrative and financial tasks of the BIMSTEC Secretariat, Centers and Entities, organizational activities and programs, etc.
7. As part of institutional reforms, preparing a preliminary draft of the BIMSTEC Charter, defining a long-term cooperation in cooperation and addressing priorities, delineating roles and responsibilities of different layers within the BIMSTEC structure and decision-making process for approval from BPWC (making it ready-to-adopt by the 5^th BIMSTEC Summit) and develop Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC mechanisms
8. Direct respective BIMSTEC member countries and heads of the states to explore the possibility of forming the BIMSTEC Development Fund (BDF) with voluntary contribution from the member states, which will be utilized for research & planning, financing and other aspects of BIMSTEC as agreed upon among the member states
9. Enhancing the institutional capabilities of BIMSTEC Secretariat by adding more Human Resources (HR) to support the organizational activities from initializing to implementing any proposals and projects, increase the number of Directors from one to seven covering all the member states on a step-by-step manner
10. Widening BIMSTEC scope at the international level by way of forging common positions on issues of common interest globally and seeking due recognition across the existing global multilateral players
11. Emphasizing on the need for further progress, review, restructure and rationalize core areas of BIMSTEC cooperation and welcoming Thailand’s concept paper on the Reprioritization of BIMSTEC Pillars of Cooperation towards streamlining BIMSTEC principles to five key pillars
12. Prioritizing legal documents and instruments that need approvals internally for finalization and ratification
13. Lauding the role of the lead countries of the group and encouraging them for further progress
14. Appreciating the former Secretary-General Mr. Sumith Nakandala’s contribution to BIMSTEC and welcoming the appointment of Mr. M. Shahidul Islam of Bangladesh as the new BIMSTEC Secretary General
15. Conveying deep appreciation to Nepal for its abilities in handling full responsibility of BIMSTEC operations since March 2014 and welcome Sri Lanka as the new Chair
16. Reiterating commitment to timely holding of the Summit and other meetings under the BIMSTEC mechanism for enhanced regional cooperation
17. Deciding on making commitments and statements of members’ positions on sectoral review expressed at the Annexure as part of this Declaration
18. Sincere appreciation to the Government of Nepal for its warm hospitality and efficient way in hosing the Summit

Now, it’s time to wait and watch the way implementation progresses. All the Best BIMSTEC! The 5th BIMSTEC Summit is going to take place in Sri Lanka.

Also Read:

• Fourth BIMSTEC Summit : Nepal All Set, Delegates Arriving In!
• Nepal Gears up for 4th BIMSTEC Summit
• 4th BIMSTEC 2018 Summit Concludes with Declaration

The post BIMSTEC 2018: Nepal’s Mission Accomplished, Now its Lanka’s Turn! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Oli told this to all the ministries in his address at the first review meeting at the Council of Ministers following the BIMSTEC summit.

Oli’s Press Advisor Dr Kundan Aryal cited Oli to have said that the activities of the SAARC and BIMSTEC nations would be forwarded simultaneously to all the concerned ministries.

The Declaration calls for effectiveness of BIMSTEC, addressing issues pertaining to poverty alleviation, enhancement of transportation and IT abilities, bring in more effective reforms in energy, environment, public health, natural disaster management, fishery & agriculture, culture, tourism, and Blue Economy, among other areas.

On the occasion, PM also thanked public, security agencies, civil employees and all the related stakeholders for making the BIMSTEC 2018 Summit a grand success, informed Binod Bahadur Kunwar, PMO Spokesperson.

The meeting involved high-level delegates including ministers, chiefs of the security agencies and high-profile officials.

Also Read:

• Fourth BIMSTEC Summit : Nepal All Set, Delegates Arriving In!
• Nepal Gears up for 4th BIMSTEC Summit
• 4th BIMSTEC 2018 Summit Concludes with Declaration

The post BIMSTEC 2018: PM for Effective Implementation of Kathmandu Declaration appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

As the reports say, foreign ministers from the seven-nation BIMSTEC group agreed upon deals worth USD 50 billion as part of the meeting on August 29, 2018.

The group has identified and decided to take ahead nearly 167 deals pertaining to connectivity and related projects at an estimated budget of USD 50 billion.

The ministers agreed to approve the projects in principle and will go ahead on the same post a detailed study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

According to Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, the group is working on the BIMSTEC Transport Connectivity Master Plan that is expected to be completed by September 2018.

“Several multilateral donor agencies are interested to put money in this master plan. We have received interest from ADB, World Bank and other multilateral agencies to push these projects,” says Gyawali.

As part of the meeting, Gyawali stressed on the need for strong cooperation among the member states with prime focus on energy, connectivity, agriculture, trade and tourism.

The meeting also called for the establishment of key organizations such as BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat in Bangladesh, BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory (BCIO) in Bhutan and BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC) in India as part of institutional development in the region.

In line with the BIMSTEC practice, Foreign Minister Gyawali handed over the BIMSTEC Chair to the Sri Lankan State Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the 17^th ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in 2019.

Also Read:

• Nepal Gears up for 4th BIMSTEC Summit
• BIMSTEC Summit 2018: 16th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meet Kicks Off!
• Fourth BIMSTEC Summit : Nepal All Set, Delegates Arriving In!
• Foreign Secretaries Meet to Discuss Fourth BIMSTEC Plans
• How BIMSTEC 2018 Can Impact Asian, Nepal Geopolitics?

The post BIMSTEC 2018: USD 50 bn Worth Deals Approved! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Months-long preparations and bilateral discussions between Asian powers are finally bringing to us the 4^th BIMSTEC Summit that will see Asian powers coming together to discuss on key areas pertaining to regional cooperation.

And it’s Nepal, the landlocked country adjacent to two Asian giants with high geographical presence, that is holding the Summit.

The BIMSTEC 2018 Summit, to be held during August 30-31, 2018, is going to see high-level ministers and foreign secretary-level dignitaries from the seven BIMSTEC member countries from South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

In view of the BIMSTEC 2018 Summit, let’s take a look at how BIMSTEC can impact Asia and Nepal geopolitics.

BIMSTEC & Significance
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Group is a combination of seven member: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

As a home to nearly 22 percent of the world population and a USD 2.7 trillion combined GDP strength, the BIMSTEC group has been into existence since more than 20 years.

Despite its long history, the organization saw the establishment of its Secretariat only in 2014 and is still awaiting institutional legitimacy.

The group has been in dire need for an effective institutional mechanism that can empower its activities in key areas of cooperation such as poverty alleviation, trade & investment, climate change, connectivity and security.

Changing geopolitics across the world, mostly in developed countries, and a drastic shift in world focus to Asian region is the key aspect that lays strong foundation for organizations like SAARC and BIMSTEC.

Though EU has been a flagship initiative towards enhancing regional cooperation, the Brexit gave a big hit to the region triggering alerts on strategies pertaining to regional cooperation, not just in the region but across the world.

In view of many such global scenarios from past to present and high geographical presence since centuries make Asia the most-sought region, and this moved Asian powers to keep up their strengths in order to play more significant role in the world’s make-over.

BIMSTEC 2018 is one in that direction!

BIMSTEC aspires to be a collaborative platform addressing key concerning areas such as terrorism, poverty, human rights, among others pertaining to Asian region and bring in a new form of regional cooperation and connectivity for overall development.

Let’s hope the BIMSTEC 2018 will help the region stand in line with the global principles pertaining to role of regional cooperation in meeting UN goals, with regional cooperation being a building block.

And, Nepal as a country with rapid pace of growth in the recent past has got a great opportunity in the form of BIMSTEC 2018 to prove its significance in the Asian region and also for local development that followed a long-awaited political struggle.

Also Read:

• Nepal Gears up for 4th BIMSTEC Summit
• BIMSTEC Summit 2018: 16th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meet Kicks Off!
• Fourth BIMSTEC Summit : Nepal All Set, Delegates Arriving In!
• Foreign Secretaries Meet to Discuss Fourth BIMSTEC Plans

The post How BIMSTEC 2018 Can Impact Asian, Nepal Geopolitics? appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The 16^th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) began in Kathmandu on August 29, 2018.

The two-day 4^th BIMSTEC Summit, during August 30-31, 2018, is hosting dignitaries from the BIMSTEC member-countries such as India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Chaired by the Nepali Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the first meeting of the BIMSTEC 2018 today is set to see statements by the Foreign/External Affairs Ministers of the BIMSTEC member countries.

The meeting will also see special presentations including the one by BIMSTEC Secretary General and other reports of the Special and 19th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM). 

Besides overall briefing of the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit, the meet will also finalize on the BIMSTEC Convention/MoU (making it ready-to-be-signed) and the Draft Kathmandu Declaration of the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit.

The first-day discussion also includes adoption of the Report of the 16^th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, informed the Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister of State for External Affairs of India Dr VK Singh, Union Minister of International Cooperation of Myanmar Mr Kyaw Tin, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Sri Lankan State Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake, Foreign Minister of Thailand Don Pramudwinai and Foreign Secretary of Bhutan Sonam Tshong are among the key country-wise delegations participating in the meeting.

Also Read: 

• Fourth BIMSTEC Summit: Nepal All Set, Delegates Arriving In!

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