Honorable Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. N.P. Saud, on 31st October 2023, participated in a talk program ‘Nepal’s Foreign Policy Outlook’ hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C.
Speaking about Nepal’s foreign policy orientation, Minister Saud stressed Nepal’s pursuit of independent foreign policy which is based on the Charter of the United Nations, non-alignment, and principles of Panchasheel. “Our conduct of external relations is based on a balanced and independent outlook, which is rooted in the historical fact that we were among the few countries that always remained independent, free from any colonial rule,” the Minister said.
Highlighting Nepal’s political transformation of historic proportions, the Minister said, “We ended armed conflict in the country by establishing a home-grown peace process tailored to our requirements. We were able to settle differences by making a democratic constitution. That happened in Nepal. In the country of the Buddha, peace prevailed; democracy prevailed. In this journey, the support from our partners like the USA was important.”
Underlining the close, cooperative, and long-standing Nepal-US relations, the Minister noted that the shared values of democracy, unity in diversity, inclusive and sustainable development, and human rights are the inspiration to further deepen and widen the relations.
The program was attended by the USIP President and CEO Lise Grande, USIP Asia Center Vice-President Andrew Wilder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Afreen Akhter, United States Ambassador to Nepal, Dean Thompson, US Government officials, Washington, D.C. based think tanks, and media representatives. The Talk Program was moderated by Ms. Tamanna Salikuddin Director for South Asia Program at the USIP.
