Kathmandu, Nepal, March 8, 2022: Nepal government’s decision to vote in favor of the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly demanding Russia ‘immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders’ has become a matter of debate in Nepal, particularly in the front of political as well as diplomatic level.
Some critics have termed the government’s decision to vote in favor of Ukraine as the influence of the Western countries and the United States in Nepal. They have also alleged the government of deviating from Nepal’s long standing non-alignment foreign policy. As neighboring India and China have abstained from the decision, the critics have also stated that Nepal should not have hurried to take the decision by voting in favor of the UN resolution and Ukraine.
Nepal was among 141 member states out of 193 of the UN voted in favor of the resolution on Wednesday. Only the five countries--Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, Syria and Russia had voted against of the resolution while others abstained. Among the eight South Asian nations, only the Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan voted in favor of Ukraine while others India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had abstained.
The government, however, defended its decision to stand in favor of the UN resolution and the Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference, Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka said on Monday that standing in support UN resolution does not mean taking sides of any country or against of any country. Since Nepal has always been for world peace and respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of small nations, we voted in favor of the UN resolution by deciding to stand in favor of the Ukraine, he said.
Nepal had not only voted in favor the UN resolution on Wednesday but issued a statement just hours after the Russia attacked the Ukraine. In the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), it was stated that the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN charter are sacrosanct and must be fully respected by all member states. Nepal opposes any use of force against a sovereign country in any circumstance and urge for the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy and dialogue, reads the statement.
Responding to the criticism of deviation from Nepal’s long-held non-alignment foreign policy- ‘Panchashee’ Minister Khadka said at the press conference that Panchasheel is the principle of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and equality. The key elements of non-alignment policy is also respecting of sovereignty of all nations, he said.
Some communist leaders namely as senior leader of CPN (United Socialist) Jhala Nath Khanal, Foreign Affairs Department Chief of the main opposition CPN-UML Rajan Bhattarai and others had criticized the government’s decision to stand in favor of the Ukraine even labeling a blame of deviating from Nepal’s long standing non-alignment policy.
