Nepal has taken serious exception to a EU-India joint statement issued in Brussels on Wednesday, which had a reference to Nepal’s newly promulgated constitution.

Point 17 of the joint statement stated that “India and the EU have agreed on the need for a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal that will address the remaining constitutional issues in a time-bound manner, and promote political stability and economic growth.”

Issuing a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the India-EU joint statement “is against the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of a country.”  

“The EU-India joint statement not only hurts the sentiments of the people of Nepal but also defies the fundamental principle of non-interference in internal affairs of a country in breach of UN Charter and norms of international law,” said the MoFA statement.

Urging all to refrain from making “any uncalled for statement”, MoFA strongly defended the charter, saying constitution of Nepal “was democratically drafted accommodating aspirations of the people of Nepal.”  MoFA insisted that the “government and people of Nepal are fully capable of resolving their issues within the framework of the constitution.”

This is not the first time that India has tried to use the international stage to advance its view on Nepal’s new constitution.

At the end of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UK visit, the two countries issued a joint statement on November 12 last year that had reference to Nepal’s new constitution. The two sides had then stressed “the importance of a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal that will address the remaining areas of concern and promote political stability and economic growth.”

Nepal had taken objected to that statement as well.

India also raised the issue during the UN Human Rights Council’s meeting in Geneva in mid-March. The Indian representative had called for a time-bound solution to reservations expressed by ethnic and minority groups. India has been consistently urging Nepali leaders to take into account the demands of agitating parties and resolve the crisis through talks.

This is second EU statement on Nepal’s constitution.

On September 18, two days ahead of the promulgation of the new constitution, a EU spokesperson in Brussels had said that the promulgation of Nepal’s new constitution will be an historic event marking the culmination of the peace deal. “The conclusion of this long process should lay the foundation for Nepal’s future political stability. After the unrest in several parts of the country, which has led to the loss of lives, the EU expects all parties to come together to address the outstanding concerns of the Nepali citizens in an atmosphere of dialogue and compromise,” the spokesperson had added.