KATHMANDU, June 18: CPN-UML lawmaker Raghuji Pant has called for a reduction in the number of Nepali diplomatic missions abroad, questioning their effectiveness and financial burden on the country.
During a budget discussion in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Pant said that a poor country like Nepal cannot afford to maintain 40 diplomatic missions abroad. He said that there are currently 30 embassies, seven consulates, and three permanent missions abroad, with 238 employees, costing Rs 3.31 billion in the last fiscal year.
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Pant said that the effectiveness and necessity of each mission should be evaluated based on their role and return on the investment the country has made.
“Egypt needed an embassy in the past because it is the gateway to Africa. There is no need to keep an embassy in Egypt as there is now an embassy in South Africa as well. Not necessarily in Denmark either. There are other embassies which we do not need now. A poor country like us cannot have as many embassies abroad,” he said.
Pant criticized Nepali delegations for their ineffectiveness in securing financial support for the country, specifically pointing out the lack of results from the embassy in Beijing. He stressed that embassies should not exist merely to provide appointments but should actively work to bring economic benefits to the country.
He also alleged that many employees in these missions are more focused on receiving allowances rather than engaging in effective economic diplomacy.
