In the first international reaction to the crackdown on opposition leaders and rights activists by the royal government in Kathmandu on Thursday, the European Union has said it is extremely concerned about the recent developments in the Himalayan kingdom.
A brief statement issued by the Finnish embassy this afternoon said, “The EU Heads of Mission in Kathmandu are extremely concerned about the recent developments in Nepal, in particular about the arrests of democratic party leaders, members of civil society and human rights activists.”
“The EU is urgently considering implications of these developments,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, talking to Nepalnews this afternoon, Charge d’ Affairs at the Finnish embassy in Kathmandu, Pauli Mustonen, said the government should have taken steps for dialogue with the mainstream political parties to restore peace in the country.
He said that the EU had not expected such an action from the side of the government. He further said that the government should have reciprocated the Maoist ceasefire, which would have been a good initiative towards the restoration of peace and maintenance of security in the country.
“EU will be closely observing future developments,” he told us.