Koirala Treads India-China Tightrope
Treading a diplomatic tightrope, visiting Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala on Tuesday attempted to bridge the Himalayas, saying her country shared “good” relations with both, India and China.
She, however, clarified that Kathmandu was closer to New Delhi due to cultural proximity of the Nepali people with their Indian counterparts.
“Nepal’s relations with China and India are good. But We feel more closer to India as we share the same culture, tradition and language…we want to further strengthen our relationship with India,” said Koirala while speaking to correspondents in the national capital, where she arrived on a five-day official visit on Monday.
She was responding to queries on the erstwhile kingdom’s diplomatic leanings.
Nepal Foreign Secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya said that there was “no question of choice” in Kathmandu’s relationship with India and China as the relationships were “independently developed.”
Also on Tuesday, Visiting Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala met her Indian counterpart External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Tuesday.
The meeting set the tone for the forthcoming visit of Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who arrives in New Delhi on August 18.
According to media reports, the parleys focused on the proposed Extradition Treaty and review of the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty of 1950.
