By Anil Giri
Kathmandu : In Nepal, there is always a curiosity about which country a new prime minister will choose for the first foreign visit on assuming office.
Traditionally, almost all prime ministers have chosen India as their first destination.
But this time, according to government officials, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is unlikely to pick either India or China, Nepal’s immediate neighbours, for his inaugural trip.
Instead, Prime Minister Oli could make Thailand his first foreign destination. He is scheduled to be there in the first week of September to take part in the sixth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), according to officials privy to the matter.
“We are yet to discuss or finalise a possible foreign visit of the prime minister,” said Bishnu Rimal, chief advisor to Prime Minister Oli. BIMSTEC member countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Although the prime minister has standing invitations from both India and China, the recent government decision to recall ambassadors from both the countries makes the visit to either of the neighbours almost impossible in the month of August.
The earlier government of CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre had recalled Shanker Sharma and Bishnu Pukar Shrestha from India and China, respectively, but following a change in the ruling coalition earlier this month, the government decided to reappoint Sharma to India.
Similarly, Krishna Prasad Oli is set to replace Shrestha in Beijing. Shrestha and four other envoys have been asked to return to Kathmandu by the end of August.
“We initially planned for the prime minister’s first visit to be India, followed by the United Nations General Assembly, and then China. But the situation evolved in a new way,” another joint secretary at foreign ministry said. “We are not sure whether the prime minister will visit China before the BIMSTEC summit.”
The foreign ministry has already started groundwork for the prime minister’s visit to New York at the end of September to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly after the BIMSTEC summit.
Before attending the assembly, the prime minister is likely to attend the Summit of the Future organised by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
It is inappropriate for the prime minister to visit a country where the ambassador has been recalled, a joint secretary at foreign ministry said.
“The recent decision of the immediate past prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to visit India after the recall of the envoy to New Delhi was a mistake and such mistakes should not be repeated,” the joint secretary said.
The joint secretary added that it will take about a month to formally appoint new ambassadors due to the mandatory parliamentary hearing and approval from the receiving countries.
Sharma, who has been nominated for reappointment as the ambassador to India, will need to go through the whole process again. So the Nepali prime minister is unlikely to go there anytime soon, according to officials.
Thailand is hosting the sixth BIMSTEC summit in the first week of September in Bangkok. The official announcement to this effect is yet to be made. The summit is likely to start on September 4, even as confirmation is awaited, officials said.
The prime minister will hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit, according to foreign ministry officials.
As per the tradition, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with all heads of states/governments attending the summit including Modi, but the foreign ministry is yet to send out an official request since the summit date is yet to be confirmed. Before the summit, there will be a series of preparatory meetings, including between foreign ministers, senior officials, and joint secretaries of the BIMSTEC member states.
After the BIMSTEC summit, the Nepali side is planning a bilateral visit for PM Oli to Thailand.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba last made an official visit to Thailand in 2002, while former crown prince Paras was on a study visit to Thailand in 2003.
“We have already proposed the prime minister’s official bilateral visit to Thailand, after the BIMSTEC summit,” a senior Nepali diplomat in the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok told the Post. “We await confirmation from the Thai authorities.”
Since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is busy in preparations for the August 15 Independence Day celebrations and has a packed schedule in the month, officials at the Prime Minister’s Office and foreign ministry said that chances of Oli visiting India in August are slim.
But Prime Minister Oli is likely to attend the third edition of the Global South Summit being held in India on August 17. The summit will be virtual and be chaired by Prime Minister Modi alongside ministerial-level meetings, according to Indian media reports.
“We have received an invitation and have communicated to the Indian side that the prime minister will take part in the summit,” said the foreign ministry joint secretary.
Currently, New Delhi is sending out invitations, with sources in various global capitals confirming the same, according to the media reports.
But those close to the prime minister refused to confirm Oli’s trip to Thailand. “There is no discussion about the prime minister’s foreign visit this time,” said Rimal. “We’re occupied with domestic issues.”
If the prime minister undertakes the bilateral visit to Thailand, according to the multiple officials at foreign ministry and Nepali Embassy in Thailand, Nepal aims to reach a slew of agreements and understandings with Thailand including agreements on tourism, culture, technical collaboration in agriculture sector from soil testing, seed treatment, plantation, harvesting, marketing and developing the value chain of agricultural products.
“Thailand has shown exemplary progress in agricultural modernisation, which could benefit us as well,” said the officials. “We also want collaboration on clean energy and hydrogen. The next frontier will be a collaboration between Nepali and Thai universities on student exchange.”
Anil Giri
Anil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets.
