Kathmandu — Former Defense Minister and senior Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal says that peace and stability in South Asia depend a lot on good relations between India and China. He spoke at a seminar on terrorism in South Asia, organized by the Nepal-India Development Forum, and made it clear that Nepal’s internal political problems shouldn’t be mixed up with terrorism.
Rijal described the Maoist armed conflict as a political rebellion, not terrorism. He also reminded people about how, during former Foreign Minister Ram Sharan Mahat’s time, a SAARC summit had to be postponed because of a hijacking. That showed how terrorism can really hurt regional cooperation.
He stressed that Nepal will never allow its land to be used to attack India or any other country. “Nepal’s land will not be used to carry out attacks on any nation,” he said.
While he acknowledged Nepal’s close ties with India, Rijal also said Nepal should expand its relations with other countries. He warned that if India and China don’t get along, it could slow down Nepal’s development and affect other areas.
“Good relations between India and China will help tackle cross-border terrorism,” he added. He said Nepal has important and unique ties with both neighbors.
