KATHMANDU, June 8: At a time when international relations scholars have started debating if neutrality is the best way to safeguard territorial integrity and independence of small states, Prof. Dr Surya Subedi has said that a policy of ‘permanent neutrality’ is still in the best interest of Nepal.
Delivering a lecture on Nepal’s Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future in the first edition of Prof. Yadu Nath Khanal Lecture Series held in the capital on Tuesday evening, Prof. Subedi at University of Leeds, UK, argued that the policy of ‘permanent neutrality’ could be a pragmatic path of Nepal’s foreign policy despite some changes seen in the strategic environment at the regional and global level. Nepal has been pursuing a non-aligned foreign policy and abstained from becoming part of any military alliance.
Net Neutrality in Nepal
Prof. Subedi argued that Nepal needs to come out of the ‘yam between two boulders’ syndrome and exercise its independent foreign policy based on merits and demerits. “Nepal’s foreign policy needs to have a global outlook. It needs to come out of its traditional way of thinking in terms of managing its two immediate big neighbors,” he said, while highlighting the prospect of projecting its soft powers such as Buddhism and peaceful co-existence of different religious groups.
Prof. Subedi also argued that Nepal is not a small country if we take into account the geographical size of many other countries. “Although Nepal is known as a small country, this should in no way limit Nepali people to have big dreams,” he said, adding that the dreams and aspirations of Nepali people can be easily fulfilled if the strengths of Nepal are mobilized through effective conduct of foreign policy.
Foreign Minister Dr Narayan Khadka, former foreign ministers, diplomats, senior bureaucrats, intellectuals and media persons were among those present in the annual lecture series organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The MoFA has announced to conduct an annual lecture series in honor of Nepal’s renowned diplomat late Prof. Khanal on concurrent foreign policy issues.
