Kathmandu, July 27: Nepal is moving ahead with plans to close six diplomatic offices abroad, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will first ensure that Nepalis living in those countries continue to receive reliable consular services.
With the start of the current fiscal year 2026/27, the government has accelerated plans to shut down three embassies, two consulates general and one embassy branch office as part of a cost-cutting drive announced in the national budget.
Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle unveiled the decision in his budget speech, saying Nepal would close its embassies in Denmark, Brazil and South Africa, its consulates general in Chengdu, China, and San Francisco, the United States, and its embassy branch office in Visakhapatnam, India.
Nepal last closed an embassy in Iran in 1981 following the Islamic Revolution. Apart from the Rome embassy, which operated from 1961 to 1967 before closing for financial reasons, Nepal had not shut any diplomatic mission for 45 years. Instead, it steadily expanded its diplomatic network.
The country now maintains diplomatic relations with 183 nations and currently operates 44 overseas missions, including 31 embassies, three permanent missions and 10 consulates general. Once the closures take effect, that number will fall to 39.
The ministry says it is working on “reliable alternatives” before issuing closure orders. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Paudel Chhetri said officials are assessing how public services for Nepalis abroad can continue without disruption.
The first option is to transfer responsibility to another nearby Nepali mission. A second proposal is to expand the role of honorary consuls. Another option is to retain a small service office even after the formal closure of a mission. The ministry is also considering outsourcing certain consular services to third-party agencies, a model already used by several countries through their embassies in New Delhi.
Only after deciding on the most effective arrangement will the ministry formally instruct affected missions to wind up operations. The closures will leave Nepal without an embassy anywhere in South America, as Brazil hosts its only mission on the continent. Nepalis in the region would have to seek services from the embassy in Washington, DC.
Similarly, after the South African embassy closes, Nepal’s embassy in Egypt will be responsible for the entire African continent. Several foreign governments have also closed their diplomatic missions in Nepal over the years. North Korea shut its embassy in Kathmandu in late 2023 after 49 years, citing financial reasons. Denmark, Italy, Indonesia and Poland have also closed their embassies, with Nepal now being served from their missions in New Delhi or other regional capitals. Switzerland, meanwhile, reopened its embassy in Kathmandu in 2009 after an earlier closure.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment