Nepal-Bhutan talks on November 21-22: KP Oli

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Sharma Oli today said he would hold “decisive talks” with the Bhutanese government on the 16-year-old refugee problem in the third week of November.

Oli said the talks would be held either in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu or in Kathmandu on November 21 and 22. “Our efforts would be to find a permanent solution to the 16-year old Bhutanese refugee crisis,” Oli said at the Reporters’ Club.

He said he would be leaving for India on a five-day tour on November 5 to re-strengthen the traditional and bilateral ties with the southern neighbour.

His India tour prior to holding talks with the Bhutanese authorities has been billed as meaningful. But he did not say whether he would also be taking up the refugee issue with his Indian counterpart.

“The refugee problem is not a problem between Nepal and Bhutan. Nepal had only given asylum to the Bhutanese people on humanitarian grounds as the refugees came to the country via India,” Oli said, adding that it is the problem of the Bhutanese government and the people of that country and that they need to resolve it by themselves. “What Nepal can do is facilitate in resolving the problem,” he said.

“We will seek an alternative way out to the refugee crisis if Bhutan does not want to repatriate its citizens,” Oli said, adding: “But I am hopeful this time that the Bhutan government would be ready to resolve the problem permanently.”

Stating that Nepal would not want more talks on the issue, Oli said the scheduled talks would be the last round between the two countries. The only option left for Bhutan is to end the refugee crisis by taking back all its citizens, Oli said. Nepal and Bhutan have already held 15 rounds of talks on the issue. Bhutan News Service