KATHMANDU, Mar 20 : Russian Ambassador to Nepal Aleksei Novikov on Wednesday claimed that many Nepalese nationals who reached Russia illegally to join its Army are reluctant to return to their homeland.
The Russian envoy made the statement during a meeting with Minister for Finance Barshaman Pun, who urged the Russian government to facilitate the safe return of those Nepali nationals recruited in the Russian military forces.
During the meeting, Pun expressed concern over the reports of the recruitment of Nepali youths in the Russian Army without a bilateral agreement and requested the Russian government to facilitate the safe return of those Nepali youths recruited in the Russian military forces, according to officials at the Finance Ministry.
At least 19 Nepalese youths have died while serving in the Russian Army while fighting on the side of Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Pun also drew the attention of Russia to create an enabling atmosphere for sending the bodies of those Nepalese killed in the Russia-Ukraine War to home, providing treatment facilities to the injured ones and compensation to the bereaved families.
Responding to the call made by Finance Minister Pun, the Russian Ambassador clarified that the Nepal government bears no responsibility for the recruitment of Nepali in the Russian army. He also argued that neither has the Russian government compelled them to join its army.
Nepalis who reach there via illegal routes, including India and Dubai, do so voluntarily, he pointed out.
Novikov also claimed that many Nepalese nationals who reached Russia through illegal channels to join its army are reluctant to return to their homeland.
He also informed Pun about the ongoing preparations on the part of the Russian government to negotiate the release of Nepali citizens held captive by Ukrainian forces through an exchange involving Ukrainian military personnel under the control of the Russian Army. The Ukraine government has recently released the photographs of five Nepalese youths who were taken captives while fighting against Ukraine from the side of the Russian military.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Amrit Bahadur Rai, so far 270 Nepalese youths who joined the Russian Army have submitted applications at the consular section of the Nepalese Embassy in Moscow to facilitate their safe return home. Around 50 of them have already returned home, he said.
According to media reports, more than 600 Nepalese youths have joined the Russian army.
Finance Minister Pun also called on the government of Russia to invest in Nepal’s hydropower generation and chemical fertiliser manufacturing.
“We have guaranteed an international market for the consumption of power generated in the country. Nepal’s hydropower sector is a suitable area for investment for the international community,” he told Novikov. (PTI )
Follow our WhatsApp channel
