Nepal's Crown Prince:Monarchy's Emphasis on Transcendental Values

[Guest guest]

ADDRESS BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PARAS BIR BIKRAM SHAH DEV

CROWN PRINCE OF THE KINGDOM OF NEPAL AT THE CEREMONY TO MARK THE

NATIONAL DAY OF THE KINGDOM OF NEPAL

WORLD EXPO - 2005, AICHI, JAPAN, 7 July 2005

"The Institutions of Monarchy and similar socio-cultural ethos, with

emphasis on the transcendental values of life, society and humanity,

has provided not only an enduring foundation to our ties of

friendship but also the space for these ties to grow and prosper.

Above all, both our countries recognise the people as the strength of

the Institution of Monarchy and the Institution of Monarchy is

totally devoted to the service of the people."

 

WORLD EXPO - 2005, AICHI, JAPAN, 7 July 2005

 

Mr. Commissioner-General,

Excellencies,

 

Distinguished Guests,

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

 

It is indeed an honour and great pleasure for us to be in the midst

of such a distinguished gathering in this beautiful city of Aichi

this morning on the auspicious occasion of the National Day of the

Kingdom of Nepal and the 59th birthday of our august father His

Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. We thank you and

sincerely appreciate the sentiments that have been expressed here

about His Majesty as well as about my country and her people.

 

 

 

We bring with us the greetings and best wishes from His Majesty the

King along with that of the Government and people of Nepal for peace,

prosperity and happiness of Japan and the Japanese people.

 

 

 

May we take this opportunity to extend and convey, on behalf of all

of us gathered here, hearty congratulations and best wishes to His

Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev for continued good health

and happiness. While confident of His Majesty's success in steering

the nation towards peace and prosperity, we pledge to be by his side

in the service of Nepal and the Nepalese people.

 

 

 

May we also take this occasion to thank the Japan Association for the

World Exposition 2005 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

for the meticulous arrangements made to celebrate Nepal's National

Day in this inspiring and colourful environment. Our congratulations

are also due to the Government and the people of Japan and, above

all, to you, Mr. Commissioner-General, and through you, to your

dedicated team as well as all others concerned in organizing the

Exposition in such an impressive manner.

 

 

 

My wife Crown Princess Himani and members of my delegation join us in

extending our sincere thanks to the Government of Japan for the

invitation as well as for the warmth of hospitality with which we

have been received ever since our arrival in your beautiful and

friendly country.

 

 

 

Though bilateral relations were formalised only in 1956 with the

establishment of diplomatic relations, Nepal and Japan enjoy a long

history of understanding, amity and cooperation, which began with the

first recorded visit to Nepal in 1899 by the famous Japanese monk,

The Reverend Ekai Kawaguchi. In commemoration of the profound

importance of this visit, His Majesty's Government of Nepal issued a

postage stamp of The Reverend Kawaguchi in 2002 - exactly a century

after the first of the numerous mutually beneficial cooperation that

took place in 1902, when Nepal sponsored the first batch of students

to undergo training in Japan. These students later returned home with

various skills as gifts from the Japanese people to the people of

Nepal.

 

 

 

With the passage of time, the flow of people from diverse walks of

life between the two sides have considerably increased. Together with

this, exchange of high-level visits and close cooperation in various

fora have been playing important roles in expanding and consolidating

the traditional bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two

countries and people. It is a matter of happiness and satisfaction

that next year, we will be celebrating the golden jubilee of the

establishment of diplomatic relations. It is also a pleasant

coincidence that we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the

Japanese conquest of Mt. Manaslu next year. The news of this success

by the Japanese expedition helped introduce Nepal to the people of

Japan and strengthen the friendly relationship between our two

peoples.

 

 

 

Nepal values her relations with Japan and the Japanese people. We are

grateful to Japan for her deep involvement in the well being of the

Nepalese people. Her ever willingness to help Nepal and generous

cooperation in diverse sectors such as health, education,

agriculture, communications and infrastructure development have

contributed immensely to our development endeavours. We in Nepal are

determined to give a richer substance to our relationship with added

vigour and dynamism.

 

 

 

The Institutions of Monarchy and similar socio-cultural ethos, with

emphasis on the transcendental values of life, society and humanity,

has provided not only an enduring foundation to our ties of

friendship but also the space for these ties to grow and prosper.

Above all, both our countries recognise the people as the strength of

the Institution of Monarchy and the Institution of Monarchy is

totally devoted to the service of the people. We in Nepal know well

that the twenty-first century belongs to peace, human rights and

multiparty democracy, to serve in the interest of which we are

committed and duty-bound.

 

 

 

Distinguished Guests,

 

 

 

The theme of this Exposition - `Nature's Wisdom' - carries special

significance, considering the fact that one tends to overlook the

negative impacts of the various aspects of human progress. The

encroachment of nature should be restrained before reaching the

threshold of the wisdom of balancing utility for human quest and self-

regeneration. We also need to work harder together to rid the world

of the ensuing socio-cultural problems and create a global society in

which different cultures and civilisations can co-exist in peace and

harmony. We are especially pleased that this Expo is taking place in

this beautiful part of central Japan, the Chubu District, which is

also home to many companies involved in environment-friendly

technologies.

 

 

 

The Exposition's message, too, is apt, requiring urgent global

attention if we want to make our world a better place to live in for

every form of life. The effects of global warming on the Himalayas,

which have increased the dangers of glacial lake outburst that can

leave a trail of death and destruction in the region, is of great

concern to us. There is an urgent need for the international

community to cooperate on this matter.

 

 

 

Given our commitment to conservation of nature and the environment,

it also gives us special personal satisfaction to be part of such

noble efforts taking place around the world. The King Mahendra Trust

for Nature Conservation, with which many of you present here today

may be familiar or even associated with, is committed to working in

Nepal, in its own modest way, with a view to contributing to this

global cause under our august father's patronage.

 

 

 

We in Nepal enjoy our own unique and traditional culture. Our

cultural and religious practices are guided and influenced by the

timeless teachings of our great souls like Lord Buddha, who spread

the eternal light of peace and non-violence throughout the world. The

fabric of our socio-cultural harmony and tolerance is well reflected

at the Nepal Pavilion in this Exposition, which, I hope, all of you

have visited. The Mandala, which represents the cosmos, and the

surroundings therein, which represent Nepal's natural beauty and

simple life-style, truly reflect the philosophy and reality of our

life today. There, you can feel the harmonious co-existence between

tradition and modernity. In a similar vein, we have also realized

that development and nature are not alternatives to choose from. We

need both. The need today is to strike a naturally acceptable balance

between the two. And, we hope this Exposition- the "Grand

Intercultural Symphony"- will be, as expected by the organizers,

a "loom" which can produce the "fabric" for a new global society.

 

We wish the Exposition every success.

Thank you.

http://www.mofa.gov.np/HRH%20Speech%20Expo%202005.htm