KATHMANDU, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has called for the international community for greater solidarity and support in addressing pertaining challenges faced by the country.
The prime minister’s remarks has come at a time when the Himalayan country has been undergoing through an acute shortage of fuel, medicines and basic commodities due to an “undeclared economic blockade” imposed by India for the past two and half months after Nepal promulgated a new constitution on Sept 20.
“As a small, least developed and landlocked country, Nepal, like many other countries in similar situations, sincerely expects greater solidarity and support from the international community in addressing challenges it confronts,” the Nepali premier Thursday said while addressing a program in Kathmandu organized to mark the 60th anniversary of Nepal’s membership of the United Nations.
Highlighting that the whole Nepal is currently confronting with critical challenges of humanitarian due to “undeclared blockade” at trading points bordering India, the prime minister was of the view that this difficult situation must come to an end immediately and unconditionally.
Oli also expressed gratitude to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for expressing concern over obstruction of essential supplies at the India-Nepal border.
“We are grateful to the UN Secretary General for his expression of growing concern over the alarming obstruction of essential supplies and the continued impact on humanitarian operations as well as his call for the immediate lifting of all restrictions while underlining Nepal’s right of free transit,” the prime minister said.
Oli also said that Nepal immensely values its partnership with the United Nations and appreciates its continued support in Nepal’s development endeavors.
“The support extended by the UN in the recently concluded peace process has been quite significant,” the prime minister said adding, “Today, with the promulgation of the new democratic and inclusive constitution through the Constituent Assembly, the country has been able to institutionalize significant democratic gains, paving the way for much needed socio-economic transformation of the country.”