Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Shift

Balendra Shah will travel to New York on September 22 and return to Nepal on September 25 for the UN General Assembly. He plans to focus on climate change and the losses caused by the Bhotekoshi floods.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, his first foreign trip since taking office. Nepal is expected to use the visit to seek international support after major floods and landslides.

General Dhiraj Seth met Prime Minister and Defense Minister Balendra Shah at Singha Durbar during his four-day visit to Nepal, with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava present. The meeting underscored continued official contact between Kathmandu and New Delhi on defense and diplomatic ties.

Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth met Nepali Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel in Kathmandu to discuss strengthening bilateral military relations and maintaining cooperation. The talks added a military-diplomatic layer to the broader Nepal-India engagement under Shah’s government.

President Ramchandra Paudel conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth in Kathmandu during his visit to Nepal. The ceremony renewed a long-running military tradition between the two countries.

Reports said ambassadorial posts in 21 countries are vacant or in transition, weakening Nepal’s ability to manage ties with the United States, China, India, and other major partners. The delays have also disrupted preparations for high-level visits and exposed persistent problems in Kathmandu’s foreign service staffing.

Nepal reaffirmed the One China Principle and pledged not to let its territory be used against China’s interests during a ceremony marking 71 years of diplomatic ties. The statement also highlighted plans to deepen cooperation in trade, infrastructure, connectivity, education, health, and tourism.

Analysts said Shah’s government is taking a more realistic diplomatic approach as Nepal recalibrates its foreign policy toward India, China, and the United States. The commentary framed recent ambassador meetings as a move toward more active high-level engagement.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah again met the Indian and Chinese ambassadors separately, reinforcing his new direct-engagement approach. Reports said future visits and invitations, including BRICS-related discussions, were also under consideration.

India and China both invited Prime Minister Balendra Shah to visit after his separate meetings with their ambassadors in Kathmandu. Shah also discussed development cooperation and said Nepal is ready to remove obstacles on India-funded projects.

Nepal said it cannot confirm whether it has an official copy of the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, which defined its boundary with British India. The issue resurfaced amid renewed Nepal-India border tensions after India and China agreed to reopen the Lipulekh trade route.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah met Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming at the prime minister’s office in Singha Durbar and discussed bilateral matters. The separate meeting followed his earlier talks the same day with the Indian ambassador.

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said construction of the Foreign Ministry’s own building will begin next fiscal year, with Rs 50 crore allocated and consultants already selected for design work. He also said the ministry will digitize and secure historical diplomatic records as part of its treaty and document review efforts.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a courtesy meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar. They discussed strengthening Nepal-China relations, expanding cooperation, and deepening development partnerships.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah held separate one-on-one meetings with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors, moving away from his earlier group-only diplomatic approach. He emphasized Nepal’s historic ties with China and bilateral cooperation with both neighbors.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah met Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming separately at Singha Durbar and called for deeper cooperation with China and India. The two sides discussed strengthening Nepal-China relations and development partnerships, continuing Shah’s move toward direct bilateral engagement.

Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava met Prime Minister Balendra Shah in Singha Durbar and discussed Nepal-India relations, development partnership, and other areas of mutual interest. The meeting marked a further step in Shah’s shift toward direct bilateral engagement.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah held separate one-to-one meetings with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors in Kathmandu, his first individual bilateral diplomacy with foreign envoys since taking office. The move marked a shift away from his earlier preference for group meetings with ambassadors.

Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava met Prime Minister Balendra Shah at Singha Durbar and discussed Nepal-India relations, development partnership, and areas of cooperation. Shah stressed the need to deepen Nepal’s historic ties with India, while the ambassador pledged to strengthen bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah held his first one-on-one meeting with a foreign ambassador since taking office, meeting Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava at Singha Durbar. The talks covered Nepal-India relations, development partnership, and broader cooperation, marking a break from Shah’s earlier avoidance of individual envoy meetings.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal is systematically reviewing bilateral and multilateral treaties to align them with national priorities and protect national interests. He said any changes would proceed through formal diplomatic channels with mutual consent and coordination across ministries.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said he would begin individual meetings with foreign ambassadors in Kathmandu, starting with the Indian envoy and later the Chinese envoy. The change followed earlier collective meetings and was meant to ease strained ties and prepare for future foreign visits.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah scheduled separate one-on-one meetings with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors in Kathmandu on Monday, followed by a meeting with the US Chargé d’Affaires on Tuesday. The article said these would be his first individual courtesy calls with Kathmandu-based envoys since taking office, marking a break from his earlier joint-meeting approach.

India formally invites Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah to visit, with the invitation extended in a congratulatory message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although no date or concrete visit preparations have been set.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah moves from symbolic joint ambassador meetings to separate talks with Indian and Chinese envoys, reflecting challenges in managing key diplomatic relationships and signaling pragmatic diplomatic engagement.

Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal urges transformative political forces to unite in safeguarding Nepal's sovereignty, advocating renewed alliances among parties based on past peace agreements and enhancing ties with global leftist movements.

Opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Balendra Shah's government of disrupting Nepal's balanced international relations, raising concerns about diplomatic mismanagement and trust issues with neighboring India and China.

An article emphasizes Nepal's key Himalayan position controlling trade between India and China, stresses deep cultural ties with India, and critiques Indian diplomatic actions that have pushed Nepal closer to China.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah plans to break his previous practice by holding separate one-on-one meetings with Indian and Chinese ambassadors, marking a shift towards prioritized bilateral diplomacy after the government's first 100 days.

Former Ambassador Dipkumar Upadhyay reviews Nepal's foreign policy under Prime Minister Balen Shah, highlighting the need for balanced diplomacy with India and China amid geopolitical pressures and stressing strategic water resource management.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah's government continues core foreign policy priorities but changes diplomatic engagement by reducing one-on-one meetings with ambassadors, focusing on economic diplomacy and institutional reforms.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal highlights efforts to strengthen ties with India and China, enhance diplomatic missions, and protect Nepali migrant workers abroad as pillars of Nepal's foreign policy under new government.

Nepal's Federal Parliament established a Nepal-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship Group to enhance cooperation, following Saudi Ambassador Fahad Manikh's meeting with Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal discussing labor migration and economic partnership.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal emphasized that Nepal's diplomacy must directly support economic transformation, prioritizing development diplomacy with trade promotion, investment, tourism, and technology partnerships. The government frames this approach amid global shifts in geopolitical competition, supply chains, AI, and the digital economy.

Nepal's government embraces an active non-alignment doctrine to maintain strategic autonomy amid multipolar global competition, balancing partnerships with India, China, and other powers to protect national interests.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party advocates replacing Nepal's traditional power-centred diplomacy with 'development diplomacy' focusing on national sovereignty, economic growth, and balanced ties with India and China.

Nepal manages complex geopolitical challenges amid India-China competition, emphasizing balanced diplomacy to safeguard sovereignty and regional peace. Prime Minister Balendra Shah's remarks on border issues influenced Nepal-India relations, affecting projects such as the Susta embankment and complicating dispute resolution.