KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday said his country maintains friendly relations with both India and China in a “balanced” manner, stressing that occasional problems between the neighbours are “natural” and can be resolved through “dialogue with an open mind”. “We will not allow our land to be used against any of our neighbours,” Oli said at a book release function here. He said the Himalayan nation “maintains good and friendly relations with both neighbours in a balanced manner while observing honesty and neutrality.”
Oli, 72, a four-time prime minister, said it was natural to have problems with neighbours sometimes. “We can solve them through open dialogue,” he said. “If we seek a just and appropriate solution based on facts and evidence while maintaining international obligations without discussing the matter in too much detail, the problem will not arise,” Oli said as the chief guest at the book release ceremony.
He said, “We follow the principles of the United Nations and seek neutral and peaceful resolution of problems.” He stressed that it is not always appropriate to blame geopolitics to hide internal weakness. He also asked the Indian side to accept the report prepared by the Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG Report), which among other things, includes the matter related to the review of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
He said this would facilitate dialogue to resolve border issues and other matters. Recalling the signing of the trade and transit treaty with China during his previous tenure as prime minister, he said it was indeed a great achievement. Oli, widely considered pro-China, had signed the Transit and Transport Agreement (TTA) in 2016, giving the landlocked Himalayan country access to Chinese sea and land ports for its foreign trade.
