Will solve own problems, won’t allow external interference says Nepal’s foreign minister

New Delhi, Jan 17: Nepal's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali has said that his country will not accept any foreign interference. He said that some countries have expressed concerns about the current political situation in Nepal after Parliament was dissolved.

However, we will not accept interference by any foreign power in Nepal.

His statements come in the backdrop of China's desperate attempts to broker truce between the warring factions in the Nepal Communist Party. China has so far found no success in brokering peace with K P Sharma Oli holding his ground and making it clear that he will not enter into a truce with his rival Prachanda.

Gyawali told reporters that Nepal can solve its own problems. There may be concerns since there are close neighbours who express concerns. However we will never accept interference from an external side, he also said. He also noted that the relations with India and China are excellent.

The Foreign ministers of India and Nepal on Friday held a comprehensive review of all aspects of bilateral ties and explored ways to further strengthen cooperation in key areas of connectivity, trade and energy, in the first high-level engagement between the two nations after relations nosedived following a boundary row last year.

In the sixth India-Nepal Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali discussed cooperation in a range of areas including economy and trade, border management, power, oil and gas, water resources, capacity building and tourism among others, an official statement said.

Gyawali, accompanied by Nepalese Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit in the midst of a political turmoil in Kathmandu, triggered by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's sudden decision to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections.

Ties between India and Nepal came under severe strain after Nepal last year published a new political map that showed the three Indian territories -- Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh -- as part of Nepal.

In the statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) mentioned border management among several areas of cooperation that the two sides discussed in the meeting. However, it was not immediately known whether the dispute over the three areas figured in the talks.

It said the close cooperation between the two sides in combating Covid-19 pandemic in the region was noted, and Nepal congratulated India on the "remarkable success" in production of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines and requested for early provision of vaccines to Nepal.

"The Joint Commission comprehensively reviewed all aspects of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and explored ways to further strengthen the traditionally close and friendly ties," the MEA said.

"Both sides discussed several areas of cooperation including connectivity, economy and trade, power, oil and gas, water resources, political and security issues, border management, development partnership, tourism, culture, education and capacity building," it added.

The MEA said the "significant and concrete" progress made since the last JCM in taking forward several bilateral initiatives was also acknowledged.

The two delegations included Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Paudyal and other senior officials from both sides.