Foreign Minister Khanal Calls for Collective Responsibility at Indian Ocean Conference

Kathmandu. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has stated that climate change, maritime security challenges, supply chain disruptions, and rising inequality demand not just cooperation, but collective responsibility.

Addressing the 9th Indian Ocean Conference, which began today in Port Louis, Mauritius, he noted that the entire world, including Nepal, is affected by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Khanal mentioned that Nepal has already lost one citizen and several others have been injured during the conflict in the Middle East.

“The events in West Asia and the problems arising from them are not distant issues for Nepal. Millions of Nepali citizens reside and work there, and their safety is our top priority,” he said.

Minister Khanal expressed the view that the impacts of conflict extend beyond regional borders, affecting fuel prices, supply chains, and livelihoods, making the stability of the Indian Ocean intrinsically linked to global peace. At the conference themed 'Collective Guardianship for Indian Ocean Governance,' he stated that for Nepal, the beginning of collective guardianship starts with a simple truth: the futures of the mountains and the oceans are inextricably linked.

“In the view of the Government of Nepal, guardianship means rising above narrow interests to shoulder shared responsibilities. This requires an inclusive, transparent, and rules-based multilateral system guided by the principles of international law, sovereign equality, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence,” Minister Khanal said.

He stated that Nepal is ready to be a partner in dialogue, a voice for landlocked nations, and a bridge between the mountains and the oceans. Noting that although Nepal is a landlocked country, its relationship with the Indian Ocean is ancient, natural, and inseparable, Minister Khanal said that in history, Nepali traders, pilgrims, and scholars used routes connecting the Himalayas to the ocean.

“These routes have facilitated not only trade but also the flow of ideas and philosophies. Specifically, the teachings of Gautam Buddha, born in Lumbini (Nepal), spread through these very routes. Today, these ideas are even more necessary in modern science and geopolitics,” he said.

Minister Khanal emphasized that the Hindu Kush Himalayan region is a primary water source for billions of people worldwide, and since its glaciers eventually flow into the Indian Ocean, their future must be considered. “Climate change has made this interconnection clearer and more alarming. Glaciers in Nepal are melting rapidly, increasing the risk of glacial lake outburst floods,” he said, “On the other hand, the Indian Ocean is warming rapidly, raising sea levels and threatening island nations. Nepal has been raising this issue at the United Nations and COP conferences. In this context, it has established an international forum called the 'Sagarmatha Sambad'.”

Stating that Nepal is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to it, Minister Khanal said that landlocked nations have the right to access the sea and participate in the maritime economy. He added that this is not a special privilege but a legal right.

Describing the Indian Ocean as the center of global trade and energy supply, Minister Khanal mentioned that Nepal is concerned about challenges such as maritime terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. “We support dialogue and international law for conflict resolution. We are connected not only by geography but also by shared responsibility,” he said.