Kathmandu: For years, visiting Indian ministers and other dignitaries have been trying to project an image of deep amity with Nepal, reiterating that the two countries share age-old cultural, social and other ties. However, apparently, these vaunted ties do not extend to working together at the UN.
Even as India celebrates the victory of its candidate A Gopinathan over his Chinese rival Zhang Yan at Monday’s vote for a five-year term at the UN’s Joint Inspection Unit, Indian mandarins in Kathmandu are unhappy by the fact that Nepal chose to vote against India.
Although the Indian embassy in Kathmandu had formally requested Nepal’s foreign ministry to vote for Gopinathan, Kathmandu cast its ballot for the Chinese candidate, underscoring the growing Chinese ascendancy over Nepal.
Soon after the vote took place, Nepal’s foreign minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha left for China on a seven-day trip to discuss the agenda for Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to Kathmandu in December.
Although Bhattarai visited India in October and on his return claimed that it had built an environment of trust, the Maoist government in Nepal is following in the footsteps of ousted king Gyanendra’s regime that also supported China at multilateral forums over India. Is Nepal’s snub at the UN in retaliation to India’s snub during Bhattarai’s India visit? The India-educated Nepali premier was met at IGI Airport only by India’s ambassador to Nepal and the chief of protocol at the MEA.
Even as India celebrates the victory of its candidate A Gopinathan over his Chinese rival Zhang Yan at Monday’s vote for a five-year term at the UN’s Joint Inspection Unit, Indian mandarins in Kathmandu are unhappy by the fact that Nepal chose to vote against India.
Although the Indian embassy in Kathmandu had formally requested Nepal’s foreign ministry to vote for Gopinathan, Kathmandu cast its ballot for the Chinese candidate, underscoring the growing Chinese ascendancy over Nepal.
Soon after the vote took place, Nepal’s foreign minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha left for China on a seven-day trip to discuss the agenda for Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to Kathmandu in December.
Although Bhattarai visited India in October and on his return claimed that it had built an environment of trust, the Maoist government in Nepal is following in the footsteps of ousted king Gyanendra’s regime that also supported China at multilateral forums over India. Is Nepal’s snub at the UN in retaliation to India’s snub during Bhattarai’s India visit? The India-educated Nepali premier was met at IGI Airport only by India’s ambassador to Nepal and the chief of protocol at the MEA.
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