Kathmandu: One of the first things that has come to public notice about the formation of the new government last week is the rush with which the foreign ambassadors are meeting newly appointed ministers. Either the foreign ambassadors or the Nepali ministers are making public the photos of meetings on social media.
Those to appear to be in rush to congratulate the Nepali ministers—from Prime Minister to Home Minister to Foreign Minister, among others—are the ambassadors to Nepal from China, the US, India.
This is, however, not the first time. In recent times, foreign ambassadors have made it a point to rush to the offices of newly appointed ministers to congratulate them. And this is happening with the frequency with which the government changes in Nepal.
While such behaviors by the diplomats appear to have been taken as normal by most politicians, a senior leader of Rastriya Prajantantra Party on Saturday raised the alarm about this tendency. Posting a message in the name of the foreign ambassadors in Nepal, Rabindra Mishra, Senior Vice President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, has said that it is not a ‘decent’ show.
“You all are aware of the fact that, apart from some exceptions, the diplomatic, professional and ethical standards of our politicians are very low,” Mishra wrote, addressing the foreign ambassadors. “However, just because their standards are low does not mean that you can ignore the usual diplomatic protocols when meeting and approaching them. It is very disappointing to see many of you rush directly to the newly-appointed ministers’ offices to congratulate them.”
Mishra said there is no need for such practice because this does not happen in their respective countries. “There is no reason as to why Ambassadors in Nepal should feel proud about having direct access to ministers and the prime minister. The blame obviously lies on our politicians. However, what many of you are doing does not look decent either.”
Sarcastically, he has asked them to remind Nepali politicians about the diplomatic protocols. “It would have been appreciated if you advised them to follow diplomatic protocols rather than breach them yourselves.”
Nepal’s Diplomatic Code of Conduct (2011) sets forth ‘dos and dont’s’ for ministers regarding courtesy calls, official talks and meetings with foreign diplomats and dignitaries, among others.
It should be noted that diplomatic code is often violated in Nepal, apparently more by Nepali politicians. Nepali politicians often reiterate their stance on implementing diplomatic code but fall short of doing it while in power.
Also see: In Nepal, why has implementing the diplomatic code of conduct become a tough job?
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