 | |
 Bhutan |  Nepal |
|---|---|
Relations between Bhutan and Nepal were formally established in 1983. [1] The two Himalayan countries are both landlocked, separated only by the Indian State of Sikkim. Both countries are bordered by India and the People's Republic of China. However, the current state of relations remains strained owing to the Bhutanese refugee crisis. [2]
Bhutan and Nepal are both Himalayan countries and until 2008, Nepal was also a monarchy. Both nations were founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Nepal-Bhutan Friendship and Cultural Society was established in Kathmandu to facilitate good relations in 1969. [3] The two nations had formally established diplomatic relations in 1983. [3] Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuck visited Nepal to attend the 3rd SAARC summit in 1987. Nepal's late King Birendra visited Bhutan to attend a SAARC meeting in 1988. More recently, the Prime Minister of Bhutan visited Nepal in 2002. PM Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan visited Nepal on 2015 to attend a SAARC summit.
A major issue confronting both nations is the presence of Bhutanese refugees, residing in seven UNHCR camps in eastern Nepal. Estimates of their numbers vary from 85,000 to 107,000. While most refugees claim Bhutanese nationality, Bhutan claims that they are "voluntary emigrants" who forfeited their citizenship rights, denying their refugee status. Most of the refugees are Lhotshampa - Nepali-speaking Hindus of Nepalese descent who had settled in Bhutan. [4] [5] [6] Several insurgent groups, including those with Maoist affiliations, have arisen from the refugee camps, whom Bhutanese security forces blamed for a series of bombings in Bhutan before the 2008 parliamentary elections. [5] [6] After years of talks and efforts produced no results, several other nations, most notably the United States agreed to absorb 60,000 refugees. [6]
The growth of trade between the two nations has been affected by the refugee crisis. In 2008–09, Bhutan's exports to Nepal stood at Rs. 300 million, while Nepal's exports to Bhutan amounted to Rs. 200 million. In 2004, Nepal and Bhutan signed an agreement to increase the number of flights between Paro and Kathmandu from twice a week to seven flights a week. Delegations of chambers of business of both nations have exchanged visits, and in 2010 both nations held joint secretary-level talks to work towards a trade agreement. [7]
Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is the government agency which is responsible for conducting the foreign relations of Nepal, historically, it is the Office of Prime Minister (PMO) which has exercised the authority to formulate the country's foreign policies. As a landlocked country wedged between two larger and far stronger powers, Nepal has tried to maintain good relations with both of its neighbors, People's Republic of China and Republic of India. However, the relationship between Nepal and India was significantly hampered by the 2015 Nepal blockade when the Government of Nepal accused India of mimicking "Russia-Ukraine" tactics by using ethnically Indian residents of Nepal to cause unrest along Nepal's southern border. India denied the allegation and said the unrest were an internal affair. For the most part though, Nepal has traditionally maintained a non-aligned policy and enjoys friendly relations with its neighboring countries and almost all the major countries of the world.
Bhutan has diplomatic relations with 54 of 193 member states of the United Nations and the European Union. Bhutan's limited number of such relations, including the absence of formal relations with any of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is part of a deliberate isolationist policy of limiting foreign influence in the state. This stance has been safeguarded by close relations with India, of which Bhutan has previously been considered a protected state.
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is a member of the House of Wangchuck who was the king of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. During his reign, he advocated the use of a Gross National Happiness index to measure the well-being of citizens rather than Gross domestic product.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% of the global economy, as of 2021.
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion.
Bhutanese refugees are Lhotshampas ("southerners"), a group of Nepali language-speaking Bhutanese people. These refugees registered in refugee camps in eastern Nepal during the 1990s as Bhutanese citizens who fled or were deported from Bhutan during the protest against the Bhutanese government by some of the Lhotshampas demanding human rights and democracy in Bhutan. As Nepal and Bhutan have yet to implement an agreement on repatriation, most Bhutanese refugees have since resettled to North America, Oceania and Europe under the auspices of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many Lhotshampa also migrated to areas of West Bengal and Assam in India independently of the UNHCR.
Immigration to Bhutan has an extensive history and has become one of the country's most contentious social, political, and legal issues. Since the twentieth century, Bhutanese immigration and citizenship laws have been promulgated as acts of the royal government, often by decree of the Druk Gyalpo on advice of the rest of government. Immigration policy and procedure are implemented by the Lhengye Zhungtshog Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Department of Immigration. Bhutan's first modern laws regarding immigration and citizenship were the Bhutanese Citizenship Act 1958 and subsequent amendments in 1977. The 1958 Act was superseded by the Bhutanese Citizenship Act 1985, which was then supplemented by a further Immigration Act in 2007. The Constitution of 2008 included some changes in Bhutan's immigration laws, policy, and procedure, however prior law not inconsistent with the 2008 Constitution remained intact. Bhutan's modern citizenship laws and policies reinforce the institution of the Bhutanese monarchy, require familiarity and adherence to Ngalop social norms, and reflect the social impact of the most recent immigrant groups.
Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji is a Bhutanese diplomat. He had been the secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation from March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bhutan:
The bilateral relations between the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and the Republic of India have been traditionally close and both countries share a "special relationship", making Bhutan a protected state, but not a protectorate, of India. India remains influential over Bhutan's foreign policy, defence and commerce. Bhutan is the largest beneficiary of India's foreign aid.
Nepal–Pakistan relations refer to the bilateral relations between Nepal and Pakistan, both Himalayan states located on the Indian subcontinent. After the Partition of British India in August 1947, Nepal moved to establish diplomatic relations with the Dominion of India, but did not do so with the Dominion of Pakistan. Official diplomatic ties did not exist between the two states until initial steps were taken on 29 March 1960; these relations were then fully established between 1962 and 1963. Both nations have since sought to expand their bilateral trade, strategic and military cooperation. In 1972, following Pakistan's defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War and the secession of East Pakistan as the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Nepal recognized the latter's independence. Pakistan severed ties with Nepal shortly afterwards, but these were later re-established.
The bilateral relations between the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal have been progressive since the foundation of Bangladesh in 1971. The two nations are separated by the "Siliguri Corridor" - a 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide stretch of territory of the Indian state of West Bengal lies between southern Nepal and northern Bangladesh. Both South Asian nations are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
Bangladesh–Bhutan relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan. The King of Bhutan was the first world leader to announce an official recognition of Bangladesh's independence on 6 December 1971. The leadership of both countries have since exchanged many state visits. In 2016, the President of Bangladesh addressed the Parliament of Bhutan. On 6 December 2020, both countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with provisions for free trade in certain goods. The signing of the PTA was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the Prime Minister of Bhutan.
Bhutan–Pakistan relations refer to foreign relations between Bhutan and Pakistan. Relations have been active at least since 2004. Both nations are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the United Nations. Neither country has a resident ambassador.
Indonesia and Nepal established diplomatic relations in 1960. Neither country has a resident ambassador. Indonesia only establishes honorary consulate in Kathmandu, while its embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is also accredited to Nepal. Nepal, on the other hand, accredited its embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, also to Indonesia. Both nations are also partners and founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Neighbourhood First Policy of India, a core component of India's foreign policy, focuses on peaceful relations and collaborative synergetic co-development with its South Asian neighbours of the Indian subcontinent encompassing a diverse range of topics, such as economics, technology, research, education, connectivity, space program, defence security, environment and climate challenge. This policy creates new avenues as well as leverages to the existing regional cooperation initiatives such as SAARC, SASEC, BBIN, and BIMSTEC. It compliments India's Look East policy focused on Southeast Asia and Look West Policy focused on Middle East.
The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative is a subregional architecture of countries in Eastern South Asia, a subregion of South Asia. It meets through official representation of member states to formulate, implement and review quadrilateral agreements across areas such as water resources management, connectivity of power, transport, and infrastructure.
Bhutan and the United States have no formal diplomatic relations, but relations between the two nations are viewed as "friendly and close", due to shared values between the two countries. The increasingly close relationship between India and the U.S. has also helped to improve U.S.–Bhutanese relations.
Afghanistan–Nepal relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Nepal. Nepal has relations with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan through its Embassy in New Delhi. The two countries have had long bilateral relations and both are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)| Americas |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Disputes | ||
| Related | ||
| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania | |
| International organizations | |
| Treaties | |
| Related topics | |
