Minister Khanal: The concept of ‘Old Baggage’ should be understood in a diplomatic and correct context.

September 16, Kathmandu.

Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has stated that the government is fully committed to conducting foreign policy by centering Nepal’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, and long-term national interests.

Answering verbal questions related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the House of Representatives meeting held on Tuesday, Minister Khanal stated that Nepal has always given high priority to its relations with neighboring and friendly nations.

He informed that he recently made official visits to both India and China to further strengthen relations with them. He stated that he completed official visits to India from June 5 to 7, 2026, and to China from June 14 to 17, 2026.

‘Nepal has always prioritized its relations with neighboring and friendly nations. High-level visits play a crucial role in further strengthening bilateral relations. In this regard, I have already informed this esteemed House about the completion of my official visits to friendly nation India from June 5 to 7, 2026, and to friendly nation China from June 14 to 17, 2026,’ he said.

He also stated that the concept of ‘Old Baggage’ (पुरानो बोझ – old burden) used in his statement during his official visit to India needs to be understood in the correct context and diplomatic sense.

Minister Khanal clarified that the word ‘baggage’ refers to the negative burden or obstacles seen in the past, and his statement was in the context of freeing oneself from internal political polarization and the narrow political weaponization of foreign policy and diplomacy.

He said, ‘First of all, I want to mention the clear meaning and context of the use of ‘Old Baggage’. The word ‘baggage’ naturally denotes a negative burden or obstacle from the past (negative connotation). The context and meaning of that statement is to be free from the internal political polarization (Internal Political Polarization) and the parochial political weaponization of foreign policy and diplomacy (Parochial Political Weaponization of Foreign Policy and Diplomacy) that has been observed in the past.’

However, he said that interpreting the ‘Old Baggage’ expression contrary to the established political notion that the state’s heritage or the state and government are continuously succeeding institutions would be an exaggeration.

According to him, the past practice of making relations with neighboring countries a tool for internal political gain or loss is itself the ‘old baggage’.

Minister Khanal also clarified that his statement was not aimed at Nepal’s history, national heritage, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the preservation of historical documents.

He stated that Nepal’s political map, which includes Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura, and the constitutional amendment approving it, is a unanimous decision of the parliament and a common national resolution of the Nepali people.

He also said that the current government wants to advance relations with neighboring and friendly nations based on mutual equality, respect, trust, and economic partnership, without getting entangled in any prejudice, narrow-mindedness, or unnecessary mistrust.

For More: Old Baggage Diplomatic Context