Foreign relations of Nepal

Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is the government agency responsible for conducting the foreign relations of Nepal, historically, it has been the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO) that has exercised the authority to formulate the country's foreign policies. Nepal maintains a policy of non-alignment and pursues friendly relations with a wide range of countries. Due to its strategic location between two regional giants, China and India, Nepal’s foreign policy is largely centered on maintaining balanced and peaceful ties with both neighbors while safeguarding its sovereignty and independence. Nepal is a member of various international organizations, including the United Nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SAARC, and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation BIMSTEC. The country actively participates in regional cooperation efforts and seeks to enhance economic, cultural, and diplomatic exchanges with countries worldwide. Nepal’s foreign relations also emphasize development assistance, trade partnerships, and promoting peace and stability in South Asia.

Overview

File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on April 07, 2018 (1).jpg

Nepalese Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, India, 7 April 2018

File:President Putin meeting PM of Nepal Oli at 2025 SCO Summit.jpg

K.P. Sharma Oli and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2025 Tianjin SCO summit in China, 1 September 2025

Constitutionally, Nepal's foreign policy is to be guided by "the principles of the United Nations Charter, nonalignment, Panchsheel (five principles of peaceful coexistence), international law and the value of world peace."

Nepal's most substantive international relations are perhaps with international economic institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Nepal also has strong bilateral relations with major providers of economic and military aid, such as France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States, and particularly the United Kingdom, with whom military ties date back to the nineteenth century. The country's external relations are managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office.

In its foreign policy, Nepal generally seeks to balance its relations with its large neighbors India and China in order to avoid dependency on either one.Template:Rp Nepal's relation with China has seen a major upswing in the recent years with China now becoming Nepal's top 5 aid donor to Nepal. In 2021, Indian government also announced increments of aid to Nepal by nearly 13% to $130 million, to counter China's growing footprint in Nepal. However, data on the actual disbursement of aid by the Indian government remains unclear.

International disputes

Nepal joined the UN in 1955. The Nepalese map filed at the UN in 1955 was accepted without any disputes by any other UN member. Both India and China without any objections, accepted the map of Nepal filed at the UN in 1955 while Nepal's third neighbor, Kingdom of Sikkim was not a member of the UN.

However, with degradation of relations between India and China during late 1950s, Indian government initiated a 'Forward Policy' along its northern frontiers which resulted in Indian military outposts being built in all unmanned areas along India's northern border. Successive Nepali government's from 1990 onwards, have continued their objection to Indian occupation of certain Nepali territories under the guise of India's 'Forward Policy'. A joint border commission continues to work on resolving the issue of removal of Indian military outpost from Nepal's Kalapani territory. since 2017Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), Nepal has border disputes with India at Lipulekh and Kalapani between Darchula district and Uttarakhand, and at Susta bordering Bihar's Nawalpur district. In 2018, EPG (Eminent Persons Group), a joint committee between Nepal and India finished a report on the disputed territories between these two countries. The report is yet to be submitted to the head of governments of both countries.

International trade

Nepal has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 23 April 2004 and on 24 January 2017 became the 108th WTO member to ratify the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Nepal maintains diplomatic relations with:

File:Diplomatic relations of Nepal.svg
#	Country	Date
1	United Kingdom	Template:DTS
2	United States	Template:DTS
3	India	Template:DTS
4	France	Template:DTS
5	China	Template:DTS
6	Russia	Template:DTS
7	Japan	Template:DTS
8	Switzerland	Template:Dts
9	Sri Lanka	Template:DTS
10	Egypt	Template:DTS
11	Germany	Template:DTS
12	Austria	Template:DTS
13	Italy	Template:DTS
14	Serbia	Template:DTS
15	Poland	Template:DTS
16	Thailand	Template:DTS
17	Czech Republic	Template:Dts
18	Malaysia	Template:DTS
19	Greece	Template:DTS
20	Philippines	Template:DTS
21	Australia	Template:DTS
22	Myanmar	Template:DTS
23	Pakistan	Template:DTS
24	Netherlands	Template:DTS
25	Laos	Template:DTS
26	Israel	Template:DTS
27	Sweden	Template:DTS
28	Indonesia	Template:DTS
29	Mongolia	Template:DTS
30	Hungary	Template:DTS
31	New Zealand	Template:DTS
32	Afghanistan	Template:DTS
33	Argentina	Template:DTS
34	Chile	Template:DTS
35	Turkey	Template:DTS
36	Lebanon	Template:DTS
37	Belgium	Template:DTS
38	Iran	Template:DTS
39	Canada	Template:DTS
40	Jordan	Template:DTS
41	Denmark	Template:DTS
42	Bulgaria	Template:DTS
43	Romania	Template:DTS
44	Algeria	Template:DTS
45	Spain	Template:DTS
46	Iraq	Template:DTS
47	Singapore	Template:DTS
48	Sudan	Template:DTS
49	Syria	Template:DTS
50	Ethiopia	Template:DTS
51	Kuwait	Template:DTS
52	Bangladesh	Template:DTS
53	Albania	Template:DTS
54	Norway	Template:DTS
55	North Korea	Template:DTS
56	South Korea	Template:DTS
57	Finland	Template:DTS
58	Tanzania	Template:DTS
59	Morocco	Template:DTS
60	Cuba	Template:DTS
61	Cambodia	Template:DTS
62	Vietnam	Template:DTS
63	Kenya	Template:DTS
64	Mexico	Template:DTS
65	Luxembourg	Template:DTS
66	Nigeria	Template:DTS
67	Libya	Template:DTS
68	Peru	Template:DTS
69	Brazil	Template:DTS
70	Portugal	Template:DTS
71	Bahrain	Template:DTS
72	Oman	Template:DTS
73	Qatar	Template:DTS
74	United Arab Emirates	Template:DTS
75	Saudi Arabia	Template:DTS
76	Costa Rica	Template:DTS
77	Maldives	Template:DTS
78	Cyprus	Template:DTS
79	Mauritius	Template:DTS
80	Iceland	Template:DTS
81	Bhutan	Template:DTS
—	Holy See	Template:DTS
82	Malta	Template:DTS
83	Brunei	Template:DTS
84	Panama	Template:DTS
85	Tunisia	Template:DTS
86	Somalia	Template:DTS
87	Zimbabwe	Template:DTS
88	Gabon	Template:DTS
89	Yemen	Template:DTS
90	Fiji	Template:DTS
91	Zambia	Template:DTS
92	Mozambique	Template:DTS
93	Nicaragua	Template:DTS
94	Seychelles	Template:DTS
95	Venezuela	Template:DTS
96	Colombia	Template:DTS
97	Bolivia	Template:DTS
98	Estonia	Template:DTS
99	Latvia	Template:DTS
100	Ukraine	Template:DTS
101	Armenia	Template:DTS
102	Kyrgyzstan	Template:DTS
103	Belarus	Template:DTS
104	Moldova	Template:DTS
105	Slovakia	Template:DTS
106	Guyana	Template:DTS
107	South Africa	Template:DTS
108	Azerbaijan	Template:DTS
109	Slovenia	Template:DTS
110	Template:Country data North Macedonia	Template:DTS
111	Croatia	Template:DTS
112	Ireland	Template:DTS
113	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Template:DTS
114	Lithuania	Template:DTS
115	San Marino	Template:DTS
116	Tajikistan	Template:DTS
117	Template:Country data Georgia	Template:DTS
118	Turkmenistan	Template:DTS
119	Ecuador	Template:DTS
120	Paraguay	Template:DTS
121	Guatemala	Template:DTS
122	Honduras	Template:DTS
123	Vanuatu	Template:DTS
124	Andorra	Template:DTS
125	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Template:DTS
126	Haiti	Template:DTS
127	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Template:DTS
128	Dominican Republic	Template:DTS
129	Botswana	Template:DTS
130	Mali	Template:DTS
131	Lesotho	Template:DTS
132	Montenegro	Template:DTS
133	Solomon Islands	Template:DTS
134	Monaco	Template:DTS
135	Uruguay	Template:DTS
136	Mauritania	Template:DTS
137	Tuvalu	Template:DTS
138	Samoa	Template:DTS
139	Papua New Guinea	Template:DTS
140	Kazakhstan	Template:DTS
141	Jamaica	Template:DTS
142	Guinea	Template:DTS
143	El Salvador	Template:DTS
144	Uganda	Template:DTS
145	Ivory Coast	Template:DTS
146	Djibouti	Template:DTS
147	Antigua and Barbuda	Template:DTS
148	Cape Verde	Template:DTS
149	Liberia	Template:DTS
150	Niger	Template:DTS
151	Eritrea	Template:DTS
152	Bahamas	Template:DTS
153	Liechtenstein	Template:DTS
154	Angola	Template:DTS
155	Burkina Faso	Template:DTS
156	Benin	Template:DTS
157	Uzbekistan	Template:DTS
158	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Template:DTS
159	Burundi	Template:DTS
160	Rwanda	Template:DTS
161	Madagascar	Template:DTS
162	Suriname	Template:DTS
163	Togo	Template:DTS
164	Equatorial Guinea	Template:DTS
165	Eswatini	Template:DTS
166	Saint Lucia	Template:DTS
167	Ghana	Template:DTS
168	Dominica	Template:DTS
169	Gambia	Template:DTS
170	Sierra Leone	Template:DTS
171	Barbados	Template:DTS
172	Timor-Leste	Template:DTS
173	Palau	Template:DTS
174	South Sudan	Template:DTS
175	Belize	Template:DTS
176	Trinidad and Tobago	Template:DTS
177	Malawi	Template:DTS
178	Nauru	Template:DTS
179	Cameroon	Template:DTS
180	Marshall Islands	Template:DTS
181	Tonga	Template:DTS
182	Kiribati	Template:Dts

Bilateral relations

Bangladesh

Nepal welcomed Bangladesh's independence on 16 January 1972. The turning point for the two nations occurred in April 1976, when the two nations signed, a four-point agreement on technical cooperation, trade, transit and civil aviation. They both seek cooperation in the fields of power generation and development of water resources. In 1986, relations further improved when Bangladesh insisted Nepal should be included on a deal regarding the distribution of water from the Ganges River. Also recently Nepal and Bangladesh had signed MOU's that Nepal would sell 10,000 MW of electricity to Bangladesh once its larger projects are completed.

Bhutan

Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon Relations with Bhutan have been strained since 1992 over the nationality and possible repatriation of refugees from Bhutan.

Canada

Many Nepalese politicians and government officials criticized Canadian diplomats in the aftermath of the Kabul attack on Canadian Embassy guards in which the majority of victims were Nepalese citizens. Members of Parliament were among those who were critical of the way that Canada treated its security contractors at the embassy, leading to meetings in Ottawa between Nepalese and Canadian diplomats, including ambassador Nadir Patel.

China

Nepal formally established relations with the People's Republic of China on 1 August 1955. The two countries share 1414 kilometers long border in the Himalayan range along the northern side of Nepal. Nepal has established its embassy in Beijing, opened consulates general in Lhasa, Hong Kong and Guangzhou and appointed an honorary consul in Shanghai.

Nepal's relations with China have grown closer following China's Belt and Road Initiative.Template:Rp

Denmark

See Denmark–Nepal relations.

France

Nepal and the French Republic entered into diplomatic relations on 20 April 1949. Bilateral economic cooperation programme commenced in February 1981 when the two countries signed the First Protocol amounting to French Franc 50 million loan which was converted into debt in 1989. Food aid and the counterpart funds that it generated have been the main form of aid since 1991. Main areas of cooperation are national seismologic network, petroleum exploration, restructuring of Water Supply Corporation, the Kavre Integrated Project and Gulmi and Arghakhanchi Rural Development Project, rehabilitation of airports, 'food for work', and others.

Nepal and France have signed an agreement concerning Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment in 1983. The major areas of French investment are hotels, restaurants, medicine, aluminium windows and doors, vehicle body building sectors. Alcatelhad became the leading supplier of the Nepal Telecommunication Corporation, with 200,000 lines installed, and fibre optic cables. Cegelec secured a 24 million dollars contract in respect of the construction of Kali Gandaki hydroelectric project.

The Government of Nepal awarded a contract to Oberthur Technologies of France in 2010, for printing, supply, and delivery of Machine Readable Passports. A significant number of French tourists (24,097 in 2014, 16, 405 in 2015, and, 20,863 in 2016) arrive in Nepal from France each year.

India

From 23 September 2015 to February 2016, India imposed an unofficial blockade on Nepal in protest against amendments to Nepal's constitution.

Israel

File:King of Nepal 1958.jpg

King Mahendra of Nepal (second from left) in a 1958 visit to Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science.

Nepal was the first and until recently the only nation in South and Central Asia to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. The bilateral relation between the two countries has been good. Traditionally, Nepal votes in favor of Israel at the UN and abstains from resolution opposed by the Israeli government barring few exceptions. Israel-Nepal relations are based on mutual security concerns.

Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal from 1959 to 1960, had a strongly pro-Israel foreign policy. King Mahendra visited Israel in 1963 and maintained Koirala's special relationship.

Japan

Nepal-Japan relations date back to the late eighteenth century. The relationship became formal with the establishment of diplomatic relations on 1 September 1956. The Embassy of Nepal was established in Tokyo in 1965 and Japan established its embassy in Kathmandu in 1967. Nepal has honorary consulates in Osaka and Fukuoka. Japan is one of the largest aid donors to Nepal.

Japan is the 2nd most preferred destination for abroad study to the Nepali students.

Malaysia

Malaysia has an embassy in Kathmandu, and Nepal has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 January 1960, with bilateral relations between Malaysia and Nepal have developed from historic grounds.

Mexico

Both nations established diplomatic relations in 1975.

• Mexico is accredited to Nepal from its embassy in New Delhi, India and maintains an honorary consulate in Kathmandu.
• Nepal is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States and maintains an honorary consulate in Mexico City.

Norway

Diplomatic relations were established on 26 January 1973. Norway established an embassy in Kathmandu in 2000. Norway's aid to Nepal was around 32 million USD in 2017. Norwegian aid prioritizes education, good governance and energy.

In 2008, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim visited Nepal. In 2009, Prime Minister Prachanda visited Norway. In May 2008, a small bomb exploded outside the Norwegian embassy in Kathmandu. No one was injured.

Pakistan

The bilateral relations between Nepal and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were fully established between 1962 and 1963.

Serbia

• A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded and are in force between both countries.

South Korea

In addition to the in-kind and monetary donations and emergency relief workers sent by the government of the Republic of Korea immediately after the latest earthquake in Nepal the Korean government provided grant aid worth 10 million US dollars to assist with Nepal's recovery and reconstruction efforts.

United Kingdom

Nepal established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 4 March 1816 with the ratification of the Treaty of Sugauli.

• Nepal maintains an embassy in London.
• The United Kingdom is accredited to Nepal through its embassy in Kathmandu.

Both countries share common membership of the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Development Partnership, and an Investment Agreement.

United States

Nepal and the United States established the diplomatic relations between them on 25 April 1947.

File:Embassy of Nepal.JPG

Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C.

See also

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nepal)
• 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship
• List of diplomatic missions in Nepal
• List of diplomatic missions of Nepal

External links

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal
• Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Nepal to the United Nations
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090904225228/http://www.mofa.gov.np/bilateral/nepal-russia.php