Nepal, India Seek To Reshape Ties

Yuba Nath Lamsal:--- Nepal and India seem to be serious in resetting and elevating the level of their bilateral relations for the larger interest of both countries and the people. This process has gained momentum, particularly after the formation of the new government headed by Balendra Shah in Nepal. Even the Indian side appears to be more enthusiastic in enhancing engagements with the new government and the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal. Soon after the results of the March 5 parliamentary elections were announced, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called both RSP leaders – chairman Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader Balendra Shah and congratulated for their stunning electoral victory, expressing willingness to work together for the common interests of both Nepal and India. Modi also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Balendra Shah for an official visit to India. It is said, ‘one can choose a friend but not a neighbour’. Thus, one has to accordingly adjust and maintain relations with neighbours, be it in individual level or between countries. A neighbour is always there next door, with whom a country must have good and cooperative relations for peace and prosperity. Neighbours often have issues and at the same time also offer opportunities to share. Opportunities need to be explored and utilised for the common benefit, while issues are sorted out through diplomatic acumen. Issues and opportunities Being close neighbours, Nepal and India have both issues and opportunities. Nepal and India share over 1800-km of border and have many commonalities. Nepal-India relations are so unique and versatile which cannot be compared with the relations between any other two countries in the world. Thus, Nepal and India are destined to manage, cooperate and collaborate in multiple fronts and areas, ensuring mutual benefit. Leaders of both countries realise this fact but politics sometimes plays stupid and tends to complicate relations between these two closest neighbours. Closer cooperation between Nepal and India is a must for the larger interest and benefit of the people from both countries. For this, more engagements are necessary at all levels, including political, official, party, civil society, businesspersons and people’s level. The last one week has seen positive engagements and developments in this area, seeking to deepen bilateral relations between these two close neighbours. RSP chairman Lamichhane visited India at the invitation of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitin Nabin. He held meetings and discussions with stronger Indian personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, and senior BJP leaders and officials, on wide-ranging issues concerning bilateral relations between the two countries. Immediately after Lamichhane’s sojourn, Foreign Minister Sishir Khanal paid an official visit to India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. In New Delhi, Foreign Minister Khanal also held extensive deliberations with his Indian counterpart on multiple issues and concerns. After the formation of the Balendra Shah-led government, diplomatic engagements with India have gone up. Diplomatic engagements and exchange of visits contribute to raising the level of trust and confidence between the two countries. India, too, seems to have accorded importance to the new government and seeks enhanced diplomatic engagements with Nepal. Lamichhane’s and Khanal’s visits, as well as their reception accorded in New Delhi, are manifestations of India’s greater importance attached to the new government of Nepal. Lamichhane was given a high-level reception in India, which no other Nepali leader in recent history has received. These events have created positive vibes in both the countries. The new RSP government too has accorded importance to the relationship and engagement with neighbours and other development partners for maximising benefit, focusing on development diplomacy. In the election manifesto, RSP had clearly stated to focus on economic and development diplomacy. Both Lamichhane and Khanal stated that RSP does not carry old baggage in regard to relations with India. The RSP is a new party and is definitely not responsible for anything done in the past. But it has to be mindful of the fact that all governments are continuities and successors of the previous ones. It cannot escape from the responsibility only placing blames on other parties but has to give continuity to the good and positive initiatives taken by the previous governments while correcting the downsides and drawbacks. Burning issues Nepal and India have some burning issues which have occasionally created irritations in the bilateral relations. However, they have been able to manage these issues and navigate relations forward. As close neighbours, they have no alternative other than managing their relations despite differences on some issues. Nepal and India are two separate and independent countries. But, according to Foreign Minister Khanal, these two countries are the ‘children of the same rivers, the same mountains and the same ancient wisdom’. Similarly, RSP chair Lamichhane says ‘Nepal is not merely a country but a great stakeholder of Himalayan civilisation. Nepal and India definitely share Himalayan geography and civilisation but they have separate identities as nations. Nepal is South Asia’s oldest independent country, as Nepal safeguarded its independence and sovereignty even when the rest of South Asia was a British colony. Lamichhane is of the view that parties do not have their own foreign policy and only the state has its foreign policy, which is absolutely true. The role of the parties is to help implement the state’s foreign policy. Similarly, with regard to RSP policy vis- a-vis India, Foreign Minister Khanal said, ‘we refuse to look at India through the distorted and hypersensitive lenses of 20th century geopolitics and instead want to shift the entire vocabulary of Nepal-India relations away from geo-political friction and focus on development diplomacy’. As RSP appears to be serious in reshaping and resetting Nepal-India relations, zeroing in on development diplomacy, only time will tell how successful it becomes. Let us hope the new government departs from the old legacy of diplomatic lethargy and starts a fresh era in carrying Nepal-India relations to a greater height through proactive diplomacy (The author is a former chief editor of this daily and a former ambassador. lamsalyubanath@gmail.com)