Miscellaneous
India to attend Buddha summit
India has said that it will attend the upcoming Buddhist Conference to be held in Nepal at an “appropriate level”.India has said that it will attend the upcoming Buddhist Conference to be held in Nepal at an “appropriate level”.
Officials said that India and China, however, have yet to convey the level of their participation at the conference even as the government has sent invitations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Bihar State of India Nitish Kumar and Chinese President Xi Jinping. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of state from Buddhist countries have also been invited.
Diplomatic sources said that Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae is likely to attend the meet. Responding to queries in New Delhi on Thursday, Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said, “We have received an invitation and I can assure you India will be represented at an appropriate level.”
Prem Kumar Rai, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that no official confirmation of participation had been made from India and China. Three individuals from India had confirmed their participation. From China, a 25-member delegation representing various monasteries had confirmed their participation, said Rai.
There were reports in Indian media that no official representation would be made at the conference due to unspecified reasons.
The International Buddhist Conference is to be organised on May 20 and 21 in Kathmandu and the 2560th Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini on May 21. The theme of the event is ‘Lumbini, Nepal: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha and the Origin of Buddhism’.