This became evident in the recent announcement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) about PM’s plans to visit smaller nations.

According to MoFA, PM Oli is embarking on a bilateral visit to Vietnam and Cambodia during  May 09-15, 2019, upon invitations from the heads of two states Vietnam PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cambodia PM Hun Sen.

Visit to Vietnam has been scheduled for May 09-13, 2019 and Cambodia trip will be during May 13-15, 2019.

15-point Joint Statement with Cambodia

Nepal and Cambodia have issued a 15-point joint statement with regard to PM Oli’s visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on May 15, 2019.

As part of his three-day visit, Oli held discussions with the President of the Senate and Acting Head of State Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdei Say Chhum, and also met Cambodian President of the National Assembly, Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakkrei Heng Samrin,

Nepal PM also participated in a bilateral discussion with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, on a wide range of issues related to mutual interest such as trade and economy, investment, tourism, culture, among others.

As part of discussions, the two sides also signed the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment Kingdom of Cambodia and Government of Nepal, along with a MoU between the Chamber of Commerce departments of two countries.

The two leaders also address the Cambodia-Nepal Business Forum with prime focus on trade and business cooperation.

Oli will be back to Nepal on 15th May 2019 after his 8-day official visit to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Oli Addresses ‘UN Vesak Day-2019’ in Vietnam

As part of the Vietnam visit, Nepal PM Oli addressed the UN Vesak Day-2019 program held in Ha Nam Province of Vietnam on May 12, 2019.

Speaking on the occasion, PM said his country stands for Buddhism and welcomed Vietnamese to visit Nepal’s Lumbini at least once in lifetime.

The three-day program is being held under the slogan: ‘Buddhist approach to global leadership and shared responsibility for a sustainable society’.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also said Vietnam holds responsibility of upholding peace and harmony in the world.

President of Myanmar Uwin Myint also stressed on the significance of Buddhist teaching and its application in daily routine.

Speaking on the occasion, the International Council for the Day of Vesak (ICDV) President Prof Dr Phra Bramapundit said the event holds high significance at the international level as a means to spread the message of peace and harmony.

Oli is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Phuc and also meet the President of the Vietnam National Assembly, followed by Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Nepal-Vietnam Business Forum in Ha Noi.

The two sides are also scheduled to sign key bilateral agreements and MoUs that contribute to the promotion of bilateral relations between the two nations.

Similar kind of meetings are also scheduled to happen during Cambodia visit.

Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Chief Advisor and Foreign Affairs Advisor to PM Bishnu Rimal, MPs, high-profile government officials, local body & private sector representatives, and media are going to accompany PM Oli in his bilateral visits.

These trips to smaller nations come as high significance for Nepal in view of the country’s regular visits and deals with Asian giants.

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Oli’s New Delhi visit gains significance in the light of a long-awaited political transformation in Nepal following the Communist Alliance’s grand victory in the recently-concluded Nepal general elections.

This visit holds high value for the Indo-Nepal bilateral relations which have been facing little odds in the recent times owing to a misconception that Nepal is moving pro-China.

At this juncture, Oli’s three-day bilateral visit to India is coming as a needed boost to the Indo-Nepal diplomatic ties strengthening the ties to the next level.

Constructive and Development-Focused

In a recently-held parliamentary meeting, Oli informed about his agenda and key priorities to be raised with the Indian side in his upcoming visit.

“We will go unified for the development and the promotion of the nation. We obviously will go forward in the developmental activities and will maintain harmonious relations with our neighboring nations for the purpose of development and prosperity,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

Oli assured of taking up no such activity that fragments the unity or spring up the feeling of disparity developing the relation of mutual benefit and understanding between the two countries and pressed on bringing up piled-up issues in the discussions for early completion.

“Our Southern neighbor is ready to assist in Nepal’s development,” Oli said in a statement, adding that the focus will be more on the pending projects.

“Rather than piling up new agreements and forgetting about them, we’ll focus on how to make tangible progress on past agreements and in areas of cooperation,” said Oli.

Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said, “There is no alternative to excellent bilateral relations between Nepal and India despite some twists & turns in the recent past.”

“Expect a visit that sets the course for the future of ties between India and Nepal. This won’t be about the nitty-gritty of agreements, but about putting the past behind us and presenting big ideas for moving ahead,” said an Indian official.

Matters on Priority

As part of his visit, Oli is expected to hold special discussions with his counterpart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by meetings with businessmen and Nepali diaspora in New Delhi.

“I will discuss the projects that were committed to be reconstructed by India after the devastating earthquake,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

He laid due priority to railway and reconstruction projects, Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) and postal highway completion, among others.

Connectivity is also expected be in the top priority list in the Oli-Modi discussion with special focus on border management, cross-border railways, trade and energy.

Agreements related to agriculture sector, inland water navigation through Koshi River and cargo movement through transit points are also likely to be signed.

Demonetization is another major area that the Nepali PM is keen on discussing about with the Indian side. Towards this end, Oli is most likely to push India to exchange billions of banned demonetized Indian currency notes held in Nepal. Nepal has around Rs 950 crore worth demonetized notes lying with its individuals and informal sectors.

“The Indian demonetization has hurt Nepali nationals. I will raise this in my meetings with Indian leaders and request them to resolve the issue,” Oli said in a statement.

As a Chair for SAARC and BIMSTEC, Nepal is also expected to seek India’s regional and sub-regional cooperation with special emphasis on the upcoming SAARC Summit.

Both the Prime Ministers are set to jointly lay a foundation stone of the 900 MW capacitive Arun III hydro project and will also inaugurate the Integrated Check Post at the Birgunj-Raxaul border built over a seven-year period.

Overall, Oli’s visit is expected to open new ways for strengthening Indo-Nepal cooperation.

“The visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review wide-ranging cooperative partnership and progress it further for the benefit of people of two countries. The entourage of the Prime Minister will comprise Ministers, Members of Parliament, Secretaries and other high-ranking officials of the Government of Nepal,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said in a statement.

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“The human rights council is one the busiest platforms among UN that convenes meetings every day.  Considering the workload, we have decided to reinforce two diplomats exclusively to attend the meetings and cover the events in Geneva,” said Bharat Raj Paudyal, Spokesperson, Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

According to Paudyal, Joint Secretary Tirtha Raj Wagle and the Under-Secretary Ram Prasad Subedi have already been appointed for taking up new assignments in Geneva.

“To fulfill our responsibility as a member, we have decided to enforce additional manpower. Besides other regular works, the council also focuses on pressing human rights issues that call for some dedicated officials to attend in the meetings,” informed Paudyal.

This move by MoFA Nepal is aimed at managing workload following Nepal’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2018-20 term. 

Securing 166 votes, the highest in the Asia-Pacific Group, Nepal gained UNHRC membership in New York in the last week of October 2018. 

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As part of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Government of Nepal signed the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty in New York yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is in New York for 72nd UNGA session, signed the treaty on behalf of the Nepali Government.

Stating that “it is a good step towards nuclear disarmament”, Nepali Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Bharat Raj Paudyal informed that Nepal’s stand on the disarmament of weapons causing mass destruction (including nuclear weapons) remains consistent and principled.

Apart from signing the treaty, Mahara attended the opening of General Debate of 72^nd UNGA session titled ‘Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet’, which was also attended by US President Donald Trump, among others.

Mahar also participated in another session titled Leaders’ Event on Forced Labor, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, organized by British Prime Minister Theresa May. In his remarks, Mahara iterated Nepal’s commitment towards addressing issues related to forced and bonded labor, human trafficking and slavery.

The Deputy PM further pitched on the need to focus on education and awareness in collaboration with UN agencies and NGOs.

Mahara also had bilateral talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, where both the leaders discussed Nepal-Norway bilateral ties and cooperation.

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Nepal is all set to sign an international treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Nepal confirmed this yesterday stating that ‘Nepal will sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons this week during the 72^nd Session of the UN General Assembly’.

MoFA spokesperson Bharat Raj Paudyal informed that Nepali Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also the in-charge of country’s foreign affairs, will be signing the treaty.

The decision shows Nepal’s commitment towards the achievement of a world free from the threat posed by nuclear weapons, said Paudyal.

Accompanied by the senior officials of his ministry, Mahara has already left for New York to attend UNGA session on September 18, 2017.

As part of the visit, Mahara will be participating in a meeting on UN Peacekeeping Operations on the sidelines of UNGA, wherein, he is expected to sign the Treaty on Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons.

Apart from signing the Treaty, the Deputy Prime Minister will also be participating in various other discussions including ministerial-level meetings of Landlocked LCDs, Asian Cooperation Dialogue in New York, Non-Aligned Movement, G-77 and South-South Cooperation, among others.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur will also be leaving for New York today to attend UNGA session and will be addressing UNGA on September 23, 2017.

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