Forum (Spotlight Weekly)

Nepal Is Not India-Locked, It Is India Open

By Shyam Saran

I am impressed by the vigorous and independent media this country has managed to develop in recent years. An independent and responsible media is one of the pillars of any democracy. Please accept my best wishes for your continued success in the future. I also venture to hope that there will be many more opportunities for exchanges between the Indian media and its Nepali counterpart. We are proud that in our own modest way, we have been able to contribute to human resource development and development of professional skills of your young journalists. Several such journalists have received training at the prestigious Institute of Mass Communications in India. Others have gained valuable experience working with well-known Indian media organizations. Some experienced and well-qualified Indian journalists have also worked in and are currently working in Nepal. This, too, leads to greater contact and understanding between our two peoples. We would be happy to expand such exchanges.

India-Nepal relations are rooted in history and we share a rich cultural heritage. The relationship is anchored in a rich web of people to people relations, including family and kinship relations. It is in recognition of this that India and Nepal have an open border and it is for this reason that India attaches the highest priority to its relations with Nepal.

There is an immense amount of goodwill for Nepal in India. I believe that similarly, there is a great deal of goodwill for India among the people of Nepal. This goodwill is a valuable asset for both our countries and I believe that it is the responsibility of all those who wish to preserve and promote friendly relations between India and Nepal, to ensure that nothing is done to erode this goodwill. Media both in India and Nepal have a major role to play in this regard.

Here I would like to reiterate what we have stated many times in the past: India regards a politically stable and an economically prosperous Nepal in the best interest of India itself. Our actions speak louder than words Consider the fact that India has maintained an open border with Nepal. Every country considers its border with another country, its most sensitive area. We trust Nepal with an open border, this reflects the confidence we have in our neighbor.

In the past fifty years, tens of thousands of Nepalese have availed of higher education facilities in India and in every year India provides 150 scholarships/vacancies to Nepali nationals for higher studies in Indian institutions. This reflects our long-term commitment to the economic and social development of Nepal.

India has contributed to infrastructure development of Nepal and has extended preferential access to Nepalese goods into India. We would like our friends in Nepal to use the vast and growing Indian market as a catalyst for its own development. It can tap into the large and outgoing tourism market from India. Nepal can also become an attractive outlet for Indian investment, which in turn will create more incomes and jobs. Nepal is not India-locked, it is India open. If you approach our relations in this spirit, we could both gain from the obvious complementarities in our relations.

Nepal is passing through a difficult phase. We believe that the way to political stability and economic recovery in Nepal lies in the adherence to the twin pillars of constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy.

lndia's stand on Maoist insurgency is clear and unambiguous We condemn the indiscriminate and destructive violence that been unleashed on the people of Nepal by the Maoists. We condemn the attempts by these elements to hold hostage the future of the younger generation by disrupting their education. India has extended material and training support to Nepalese security forces, including the RNA, in meeting the Maoist challenge. Several Maoist cadres have been apprehended in India and handed over to the Nepali authorities. There is a long and open border between the two countries. There are several million Nepalese citizens who are living and working in India. Several hundred Nepali citizens cross the border into India each day. It is possible that among them are also Maoist elements. We also have reports of Maoists Communists Center (MCC) and People's War Group (PWG) cadres from India going to training camps in Western mid-hills areas of Nepal. They can be apprehended only on the basis of better information exchange and intelligence cooperation. We are working together with the Government of Nepal to promote further cooperation in this regard. Baseless allegations that India is giving ìsafe havenî to Maoist leaders can only undermine such cooperation.

(Excerpts of Indian Ambassador Shyam Saran's opening statement at the Reporters' Club on December 20, 2002)