Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal has said that Nepal’s foreign policy is grounded firmly in the UN Charter, the principles of Panchasheel, and non-alignment. Addressing the 9th Indian Ocean Conference, the foreign minister said: “We call for a rules-based international order where the rights of all nations, large and small, are respected, he said. We support the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and international law, he said.
On the ongoing war in the Middle East, Nepal’s FM said, “We cannot ignore the conflicts unfolding in the Middle East. For Nepal, these are not distant events. Millions of Nepali citizens live and work in the region, and their safety remains our foremost concern. We have already lost one life, and others have been injured, he said. The consequences extend far beyond the region—affecting fuel prices, supply chains, and livelihoods back home. These disruptions remind us that the stability of the Indian Ocean is inseparable from global peace, Khanal added.
He further said that landlocked nations possess inherent rights to access the high seas and to participate in the maritime economy. In his address at the 9th Indian Ocean Conference, Minister Khanal said that these are not privileges granted by geography, but rights enshrined in international law.
Khanal further added that as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Nepal reaffirms its commitment to the foundational framework for the law of the sea. We emphasize that landlocked nations possess inherent rights to access the high seas and to participate in the maritime economy, he said.
The Nepal Foreign Minister further added that the Indian Ocean is central to global trade and energy flows. Its stability is therefore a global responsibility, he said. Nepal is deeply concerned by threats such as maritime terrorism, piracy, and illicit trafficking of drugs and human beings, he said. These challenges affect real lives, including those of Nepali citizens who travel across these waters in pursuit of livelihoods.
