PM urged to make most out of BRICS summit

Kathmandu / Oct 13: Foreign relations experts and diplomats have urged Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to make most out of the Eighth BRICS Summit being held this October 15-16 in Goa, India, when he goes there to attend the event.

Speaking in a programme organised by Reporters Club Nepal here today, they also suggested the Prime Minister to take the meeting he is scheduled to have with the Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Summit as an opportunity.

Former ambassador Hiranya Lal Shrestha said the cancellation of the Chinese President’s visit to Nepal is a failure of the government and suggested that the PM should express Nepal’s commitment to implementing the various agreements that the previous government had signed with China in his meeting with the Chinese President in Goa.

Foreign relations expert Madhu Raman Acharya said Nepal should adopt a balanced relation with both India and China as both the immediate neighbors were equally important.

Former ambassador Dr Shankar Sharma said the Prime Minister should assure the Chinese President for a visit to Nepal during his meeting with the Chinese leader as doubts have been expressed regarding the country’s foreign policy that it was not balanced of late.

International relations expert Dr Nischal Nath Pandey observed that the Prime Minister participating in the Eighth BRICS Summit on behalf Nepal is a big opportunity for the country. He added that Nepal should make efforts for making the SAARC Summit possible in the context of the 19th SAARC Summit being canceled due to the souring relations between two big SAARC member countries – India and Pakistan in recent days.

BRICS comprises Brazil, India, China and South Africa. RSS