Kathmandu: Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Thursday called for redefining ties between India and Nepal in ecological terms, while continuing to strengthen the deep cultural and religious bonds between the two neighbours.
Speaking at the NDTV World Anviksha Summit in Kathmandu, Khanal underlined the shared ecological challenges confronting Nepal and India due to the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem, saying, “Whatever melts in the Himalayas rises in the sea. Nepal and India have always talked about our relations in terms of Roti-Beti, Sita-Ram. Religion and civilisational links have always played a big role in our ties. But we have to reframe our relationship in ecological terms. What melts in the Himalayas rises in the sea. This is what we saw live in front of our eyes on Wednesday. A burst in the Nepal-China border region in the Himalayas sent water rushing downstream, devastating areas of Nepal.”
The death toll from Wednesday’s tragic Bhote Koshi floods has reached nearly 300, with bodies still being recovered from several downstream districts, Nepal Police confirmed on Thursday.
The massive flood, originating in the Tibetan region of China, swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, leaving a trail of destruction in Nepal.
The Nepal Foreign Minister called for deeper ecological cooperation, noting that although the latest floods have not affected downstream India, such incidents have occurred in the past and could recur again.
“Fortunately, this time the floods have not gone further downstream to actually impact Indian areas bordering Nepal. But this has happened in the past,” warned Khanal.
He emphasised that the shared ecology connecting India, China, Nepal and Bhutan demands cooperation, with the countries putting their differences aside
“China, Nepal, India and Bhutan are connected by ecology and our shared survival and future depends on protecting the Himalayan ecology. There could be political rivalry, but we have to come together as the Himalayan region is most vulnerable to climate change,” Khanal said.
He further expressed Nepal’s desire to maintain close ties with both India and China, while refusing to take sides between the two regional powers.
“You can’t tell your father that you’ll replace him with your mother, or vice versa,” the minister told NDTV, underlining the importance of maintaining ties with both India and China.
“We are very emotional people, but in foreign policy, I think we need to look at it from a rational side, and again, what I would like to say is as two important neighbours, we have a wonderful relationship that we would like to maintain with both India and China. But we do not want to supplement one with the other. I would not want to tell my father that I’ll replace you with the mother or the mother with the father. These are very unique relationships that Nepal has and will continue to maintain that,” Khanal asserted.
(IANS)
