Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, celebrates 2023 as the centenary of the UK-Nepal Treaty of Friendship.
Maria said, ‘it is always a joy to celebrate the anniversaries of positive events and the UK-Nepal Treaty of Friendship is no exception. We are blessed with a thriving Nepalese community in Basingstoke, which includes many Gurkha veterans whose contributions to the UK have been immense. The communities in Basingstoke keep the Treaty of Friendship alive through the Basingstoke Multicultural Forum, the Cultural Diversity Consortium and the BAME reference group established following the 2020 inquiry I undertook on racism with the help and support of 30 local community groups and individuals. I have no doubt that the strong relationship between the UK and Nepal will continue for centuries to come.’
A treaty of ‘perpetual peace and friendship’ was signed in Kathmandu on 21st December 1923, following on from the Treaty of Segauli, ratified in 1816 which first established formal diplomatic relations between the UK and Nepal.
Since then, our countries have continued to enjoy a close relationship. The Nepali diaspora in the UK is over 80,000 strong and each year, more than 30,000 British tourists visit Nepal.
The UK was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Nepal, and the first country to establish an embassy in Kathmandu. Likewise, Nepal’s first diplomatic mission abroad was in London, established in 1934.
Gurkha soldiers have been a part of the British Army since 1815, and this over two-hundred year relationship continues to this day. Many Gurkha servicemen gave their lives as allies of Britain in the Second World War, and the continued closeness of the UK-Nepali relationship is laid on the foundations of the sacrifice and bravery of these men.
Maria Miller continues to work for our excellent relationship with Nepal, recently meeting with the UK Ambassador to Nepal to hear updates from the country.