– Kedar Bhakta Shrestha
Nepal’s Former Ambassador to Belgium and the USA
Begin text:
I will deal with the subject beginning from the advent of democracy in the country after the fall of the Rana rule. After a brief tour d’horizon from the early 1950s onwards up to about 1965, I propose to deal with the period from 1964 onwards up to 2006 as I was in the government service during that period in various capacities except for nearly two years (2002-2004).
After 2006, being not any more with the government, I will venture to make some observations as an outsider only.
A Brief historical overview of the 1950s and 1960s:
Nepal had remained totally isolated from the outside world during the Rana rule which ended in early 1951.
Prior to this period, Nepal’s external dealings remained limited to China (Tibet for all practical purposes),
British India and Great Britain. However, even before the collapse of the Rana regime, Nepal had entered with diplomatic relations with India (after the departure of the British), the United States and France.
Nepal’s establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1955 was prompted by its desire to expand the horizons of its diplomatic activities.
Nepal’s admission to the United Nations on 14 December 1955 opened up new avenues for its diplomatic engagements.
From the year mid-1950s onwards, diplomatic relations were further extended with countries like the then Soviet Union, Japan, Pakistan, Australia, Thailand, both Germanys and Koreas and so on.
The establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel in 1960 was a bold diplomatic move by Nepal at a time when Israel was shunned by most of the non-western countries of the world. The United States opened its embassy in 1959. Nepal had opened its embassy in Washington D.C a year earlier in 1958.
The visit of PM B.P. Koirala to Israel in June 1960, soon after establishment of diplomatic relations, was a bold and visionary move on Nepal’s part.
Also, his visit to China the same year can be seen as Nepal’s increasing desire to expand its contact with the outside world. King Mahendra’s visit to the United Kingdom in 1960, Premier Chou-en-Lai’s visit to Nepal in 1960, Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Nepal in 1961 and King Mahendra’s visit to China were examples of Nepal’s growing exposure to and involvement with the outside world beyond India.
There was a time in early 1960s when its ambassador based in New Delhi used to have concurrent accreditation to countries as far away as Lebanon and Japan.
This was due to our man power and financial limitations.
Up until 1947, Nepal had only one embassy in London and consulates in Calcutta and Lhasa. However, in its its quest for further expansion of diplomatic reach,
Nepal established its residential embassies in Moscow and Beijing in 1961 and in Bonn and Tokyo in 1965.
In 1967, Nepal added Paris in its list of diplomatic missions abroad.
Nepal’s quest for greater outside relations:
Just before India gained independence, an Asian Relations Conference was hosted by the provisional Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in March-April 1947.
Nepal participated in this conference with a high level delegation led by Gen Bijaya Shumshere JB Rana (son of the last Rana Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher and father of Pashupati Rana).
In the aftermath of the fall of the Rana regime, Nepal’s major exposure to international event was its participation at the Bandung Conference of 1955.
It was in this conference that 29 countries of Asia and Africa, with the likes of Nasser, Nehru and Soekarno, came together to assert their own voice in international affairs. It was here in Bandung that the seeds of the Non-aligned movement were sown.
Establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1955, and subsequent visit to China by Prime Minister Tanka Prasad Acharya can be seen as Nepal’s desire to expand its diplomatic horizon and reach.
King Mahendra’s participation in the First Non-aligned Summit in Belgrade in 1961 gave Nepal a broad rostrum to voice its views as one of the founder members of the NAM.
In the subsequent years and summits, Nepal has actively participated in all the summits and lesser conferences to date.
However, after the fall of the Soviet Union and more notably in the recent years and in the scenario of a multi- polar world, the role and relevance of the movement is being increasingly questioned.
Notwithstanding that, Nepal has played a significant role within the movement by strictly upholding its principles as well as raising its voice for the cause of the least developed and land locked countries.
Nepal’s early years in the United Nations – 1955 to 1970:
But for the power play of the super powers, Nepal should have become a member of the UN even earlier than when it got admission.
Eventually, as a package deal, Nepal along with 15 other countries were admitted to the United Nations on 14 December 1955.
The membership of the UN opened up for Nepal a chance to have its voice heard around the world.
Ambassador Rishikesh Shah brilliantly represented Nepal in the forum.
His performance in the UN as Permanent Representative (1956-60) won him many laurels and he was being talked about as a future Secretary General.
But that did not happen as Burma’s U Thant got the post instead.
However, in recognition of his talents, Rishikesh Shah was appointed as Chairman of the UN Investigation Commission on the death of then Secretary General Dag Hammarsjold in a plane crash in Lusaka in 1961.
In the sixties, decolonization and apartheid were among the main concerns of the United Nations and Nepal actively participated in the deliberations on these issues and were also elected to many related committees.
Nepal’s participation in the UN Peacekeeping Missions which started in a small manner in 1958 with UNMOGIL (Lebanon) and later with UNMOGIP (Kashmir) has now expanded greatly and one of the success stories of Nepal’s involvement with the United Nations.
Nepal’s active involvement in the UN during the late fifties and sixties was rewarded with it being elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations for the two year period of 1969-70.
It was a recognition of Nepal’s role and active involvement in UN activities since becoming its member in 1955.
Assessment of the period 1951-1970:
It would seem from the above account that during this period Nepal sought to expand its external relations as much as possible within its limited human and financial resources.
While reflecting on the actions and events at that time, one has to bear in mind Nepal’s limited knowledge of and exposure to the outside world.
The earlier contacts with the British and after 1947 with India, did not adequately educate and prepare Nepalese diplomats to engage with the wider world.
While the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed by the last Rana Prime Minister in a desperate attempt to save the Rana rule, later agreements with India also showed lack of diplomatic maturity.
The Koshi and Gandak Agreements were made without proper understanding of their implications and possible adverse effects on Nepal.
Nepal simply didn’t or couldn’t do proper homework before signing the agreements which even today continue to remain controversial as being harmful to Nepal’s interests.
However, it must be said in all fairness that Nepal continued to enhance its diplomatic capabilities by inducting young university graduates in the foreign ministry starting from 1960 and a separate Public Service Commission examination for entry level officials.
But there was still a lack of proper and effective negotiating and communicating skill.
Be it in the forums of Non-alignment, the UN or the Group of 77, Nepal remained active and espoused the cause of the least developed and land locked countries and on many occasions played leading roles.
Strict adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, Panchsheel and non-alignment remained the corner stones of Nepal’s foreign policy.
It would be fair to say that Nepal’s firm and unequivocal commitments to its avowed policies helped Nepal gain due respect in all of these international fora.
Due to its geo-political situation, Nepal has to walk a tight rope and with limited maneuverability.
Our avowed policy of remaining friendly with both of our immediate neighbors taxed our diplomatic acumen and skill on many occasions. But we have remained firm in our policy with unwavering position although it has landed us in troubles and hardships from time to time.
This will continue to be a sticking feature of our relationships with our immediate neighbors. More on that later.
Personal accounts and observations – 1965 onwards
As mentioned earlier, as part of its diplomatic expansion, Nepal opened its diplomatic missions in Bonn and Tokyo in July 1965.
I got posted to Bonn to open our new mission and proceeded there along with Ambassador Sardar Bhim Bahadur Pande.
We had to start everything from scratch in an alien country without any knowledge of German language.
It was not an easy task. But somehow, by a rare diplomatic coincidence, our task was made much easier.
What had happened was that just before our arrival in Bonn, 14 Arab countries had all at once broken off diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany in protest against its establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
As a result, all the local staff working for them became jobless and their diplomatic residences vacant.
This resulted in our chance hiring of an office secretary previously working with the embassy of Saudia Arabia and setting up a chain action of getting a former driver and residence of Saudi Ambassador. This sequence of events and actions made our job much easier.
The above brief administrative account apart, the establishment of a residential mission in Bonn helped us enhance our bilateral relations.
Devastated as it was by the Second World War, within 10/12 years of the end of the war, Germany was well on its way to become a strong economic power and by the time we opened our mission in 1965, was being hailed for its “economic miracle”.
Though geographically far apart and in economic terms quite dissimilar, Nepal and Germany had one common feature – that of diplomatic isolation.
Nepal due to its self-imposed isolationist policy during the Rana regime and Germany in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Both the countries had started to widen their external relations, beginning in the fifties and continued in the sixties as well.
Perhaps partly because of its situation and also due to its desire to expand its relations with outside countries its welcoming behavior to countries like us was appreciable.
They were quite receptive to our suggestions and requests for enhanced cooperation and became involved in many of Nepal’s development projects and other programs.
The courtesy accorded to our then Prince Himalaya ( who was on a private visit) by way of inviting him to an official luncheon by President Luebke, visit of the First Lady Mrs. Luebke to our embassy to join in a lunch hosted by the wife of our ambassador were instances of Germany’s posture towards Nepal.
The state visit by President Luebke (the first landing of a Boeing 707 at Tribhuvan Airport) to Nepal in 1967 was a feather in the cap of our bilateral relations.
End of First Part.
-Text courtesy: AFCAN Review Volume 2, 2021: Ed. Upadhyaya.