Nepal Faces Diplomatic Challenge with 17 Ambassadorial Vacancies

Kathmandu. Residential ambassadorial posts for Nepal are vacant in 17 different countries. The terms of Nepali ambassadors to Bangladesh, Bahrain, Egypt, Myanmar, France, and Brazil are also ending by next August.

In the political situation that developed after the Janji movement, the interim government held parliamentary elections and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led the government with nearly a two-thirds majority. Despite it being nearly two months since the government led by Balendra (Balen) Shah, a senior leader and parliamentary party leader of RSP, was formed, there seems to be no interest in appointing ambassadors.

With the formation of a government led by a new political party in Nepal and a new face as Prime Minister, some countries are harboring doubts about the nature of mutual relations. In such a situation, although the Nepali government should play a role through ambassadors to allay the doubts of those countries, about a dozen and a half countries are without ambassadors.

At a time when global geopolitics is becoming volatile, some consider Nepal leaving so many embassies vacant at once as a diplomatic weakness.

So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not made any move regarding ambassador appointments. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had stated that ambassadors would be appointed through open competition, but that matter has now cooled down. In a meeting at the ministry on Baishakh 14, Minister Khanal had expressed the view that ambassadors would be appointed to vacant positions through open competition.

A joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'The minister raised the issue of appointing ambassadors through open competition during discussions, but as far as I understand, there has been no discussion about announcing a vacancy for that purpose at the ministry so far.'

• Ambassador Appointment Provision

According to the Ambassador Appointment Directive, 2075, at least 50 percent of the total ambassadorial posts should be filled by employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (career diplomats) and the remaining 50 percent by political appointments. However, the directive does not mention selection through open competition anywhere.

Instead, the directive states that the ministry will recommend ambassadors based on diplomatic competence, specialized educational qualifications, and experience, keeping in mind the principle of inclusivity, to represent the nation, enhance its prestige, and promote its interests.

That joint secretary said, 'If selection is to be made through open competition, the rules and laws will also need to be amended. Directives and other criteria will also need to be prepared. No preparation has been made for that so far.'

According to the directive, the necessary process for appointment should generally be started three months before the ambassadorial post becomes vacant.

According to the directive, the process of appointing ambassadors will be initiated by the ministry. The ministry will prepare a list of potential candidates for ambassador and conduct an initial selection from the list of potential qualified candidates.

Similarly, the directive mentions that recommendations will be made from among specific or gazetted first-class employees of the Nepal Foreign Service and individuals renowned in various sectors of national life who have significant expertise or have contributed to the country's foreign policy, international relations, and diplomatic field for appointment to vacant ambassadorial posts.

According to the directive, the necessary process for appointment should generally be started three months before the ambassadorial post becomes vacant.

The interim government formed after the Janji movement recalled 11 ambassadors in the last week of Ashwin. Without appointing new ambassadors in place of those recalled, the government led by Balen Shah recalled 6 more ambassadors in the last week of Chaitra.

Although the necessary process for appointment should generally be started three months before the ambassadorial post becomes vacant, the government has not been able to advance the process for appointing new ambassadors even though various embassies have been without ambassadors for 7 months. According to sources in Minister Khanal's secretariat, internal preparations are underway regarding ambassador appointments. The source claims that the minister will advance the appointment process at an appropriate time.

• Diplomacy on Acting Charge

The then government led by Sushila Karki had recalled Nepali ambassadors to China, Germany, Malaysia, Israel, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United States, and Japan through a cabinet meeting on Ashwin 30.

He said that the concerned country does not give much importance to the acting ambassador and they do not have much enthusiasm to work, so a new appointment should be made as soon as the ambassador post becomes vacant.

After that, the government formed under Balen's leadership, through a cabinet meeting held on Chaitra 23, recalled the Nepali ambassador to India Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, Nepali ambassador to South Korea Dr. Shivamaya Tumbahangphe, Nepali ambassador to Australia Chitralekha Yadav, Nepali ambassador to Sri Lanka Dr. Purna Bahadur Nepali, Nepali ambassador to Denmark Sumni Ma Tuladhar, and Nepali ambassador to South Africa Kapil Shrestha.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most of those ambassadors have returned, and some are in the process of returning.

A former ambassador who served as the Nepali ambassador to China said, '17 embassies are being run by acting ambassadors. That should be considered as being without an ambassador. The country where there is no ambassador is not viewed favorably. This causes problems in performance.'

Another former ambassador, Suryanath Mishra, said that the leadership of an embassy should never be left vacant. 'That is why the provision has been made to recommend for appointment three months before the vacancy occurs,' he said.

He said that the concerned country does not give much importance to the acting ambassador and they do not have much enthusiasm to work, so a new appointment should be made as soon as the ambassador post becomes vacant.