Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra “Balen” Shah is changing his approach to balance relations with India and China. Having avoided separate meetings with foreign ambassadors in Kathmandu since taking office, he is now to sit down individually with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors.
The Nepali outlet The Kathmandu Post reported that Balen Shah may meet Indian Ambassador Navin Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming this week. The meetings have been planned for the same day to signal that both neighbours are given equal importance.
Balen Shah, who came to power after Nepal’s Gen-Z movement, had until now avoided the practice of individual meetings, meeting diplomats jointly instead. He had earlier even turned down requests for meetings from the US assistant secretary of state and a special envoy. But after recent discussions with businesspeople and various professionals, he has now decided to increase individual contact with foreign diplomats as well. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the process is beginning with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors in view of the importance of India and China in Nepal’s foreign policy.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report