Nepal on Thursday criticised India and the European Union (EU) for ‘interfering in its internal affairs’ and ‘hurting the sentiments of its people’.
A day after India and the EU asked Nepal to find ‘a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement’ in a joint press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) asked them to respect ‘the sovereign and democratic rights of the Nepalis’ and ‘refrain from making uncalled for statements’.
The statement read: “The government and people of Nepal are fully capable of resolving their issues themselves within the framework of the constitution.”
In the joint statement, India and the EU said they agreed ‘on the need for a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal that will address the remaining Constitutional issues in a time bound manner, and promote political stability and economic growth.’ The joint statement was issued after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the EU officials in Brussels on Wednesday.
Amidst the Indian blockade, Nepal had promised to readjust federal boundaries by setting up an all-party mechanism within three months. But the mechanism has not taken full shape, and Madhesi parties are threatening to step up protests.
Political analysts see the India-EU statement as a reminder that Nepal still needs to address Madhesi demands, but the MoF saw it as ‘a breach of UN charter and norms of international law’.
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how about an EU statement on the blockade? europeans are lazy, craven, and downright mendacious.
Quite frankly, I don’t see anything wrong with the statement itself as regards Nepal. No one claims that Nepal’s new constitution to be a perfect one. Much less about India’s hotch-potch, show me one country in the western world which has a 100% perfect constitution. No one does.
That said, where I vehemently disagree with is the manner where the statement was brought out. We have no problem if EU-India discusses their own matter to any length. When they bring up Nepal’s issue, since when they started singling out Nepal by undermining its sovereignty. Is that the tradition of the great democracies of Europe? As we have been putting up with our big brother India’s hegemony, willy nilly, and blatant example of it is the recent economic blockade in violation of international norms and rules, one really wonders what is haunting the EU that was supposed to be carrying the collective wisom of democracies in the west. Where was EU with their statement when hundreds of people died and suffered due to India imposed economic blockade to the earthquake stricken country. What compels the good old EU to hang onto India’s coattail by undermining the mandate of the Nepalese people over the constitution and go along with India’s bent on policy to replace Nepal’s secularism by Hinduism as state religion.
The question is –does the EU give more priorities to its economic deals with India over or at the cost a third country’s sovereignty?
I request the intellectuals and fair minded members of the EU countries to put a pressure on EU to withdraw such statement and help support Nepal’s development.
No one should undermine the centuries old Nepal and India cultural ties which cannot be delinked by such motivated statement. Even in a diplomacy, there is a limit to what is fair and what is unfair. Be it known, when India’s ruling party puts a continuous pressure to achieve their goal from all angles, no Nepalis, or Gurkhas serving anywhere in the world, would reject it wholeheartedly. Some take it fast, some slowly but it is only a matter of time before we all know it.
I totally agree with both the above comments. I am Eurasian so have an insight on East & West. What the people of Nepal must understand, money talks! UK economic interests in India and China, far outweigh political interests in Nepal. In the West we have a saying, “He who pays the piper, calls the tune”, in a nutshell this is what is happening, not morally right but nevertheless the norm.
EU made that statement for its economic interest and India used it in its vested interest. the statement in itself tries to be as less offensive as it can be. but i guess it will not matter when modi toadies will be rubbing it all in our faces. and we the Nepalese have two things in abundance.’PRIDE & P*******E’. So ya DON´T CRITICIZE NEPAL.