Kathmandu, September 28
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called on the international community to ensure the right of refugees to return home in a dignified manner and on regional governments to revitalise an important platform such SAARC.
The Prime Minister, in his address to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, said that his government not only enjoyed support of more than two-third of lawmakers, but also those in the provinces.
“Nepal has hosted thousands of refugees for decades on a humanitarian ground. The international community must uphold the refugees’ right to return to their homeland safely and with full dignity,” said the Prime Minister in a veiled reference to the Tibetan and Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. The PM’s statement comes at a time when the government is under pressure from the West to speak up in favour of Tibetan refugees.
The Prime Minister told the UNGA that Nepal has an independent voice on global issues and wants friendship with everyone. “Our foreign policy guides us to maintain amity with all and enmity with none. It has shaped our independent outlook on global issues which we consider on merit basis. We believe that regional and global efforts complement our national development efforts,” he said, adding that Nepal wants to revitalise SAARC.
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to say that the peace process had gathered momentum, and perpetrators of heinous crimes will not be provided amnesty. He thanked the UN for its support in Nepal’s peace process.
