By Tass

Copyright tass

NEW DELHI, September 12. /TASS/. Russia hopes to preserve friendly relations with Nepal under new head of the interim government Sushila Karki, Russian Ambassador to Kathmandu Alexey Novikov said.

“We consider Sushila Karki’s swearing-in as an important step toward stabilizing the situation in Nepal,” he told TASS.

“We hope that the traditionally friendly relations between our countries will continue and we will able to expand our ties in various spheres,” he emphasized.

According to Novikov, Russia hopes that the Nepali interim government led by Karki, who is reputed as a principled advocate of the supremacy of law, will create conditions for a peaceful political process

Karki, Nepal’s former Chief Justice in 2016-2017, was appointed head of the interim government after mass riots led to the resignation of the previous prime minister, Sharma Oli. Karki’s appointment came a s a result of two-day negotiations between the country’s top brass, President Ram Chandra Paudela, and Gen Z youth movement activists. She was sworn in on Friday evening.

Karki is known for her strong support for efforts to combat corruption in the judicial system. Throughout her career, she led several high-profile cases, including the conviction of former Minister of Communications and Information Technology Jayaprakash Gupta for corruption. After leaving the post of Chief Justice, she became a prominent civil activist.

Earlier this week, protests against corruption and a ban on social media escalated into riots in Kathmandu and other Nepali cities. Prime Minister Sharma Oli resigned amid the protests. The protesters, most of them being students and activists from the Gen Z youth movement, set fire to government buildings, including parliament, the Supreme Court, and prosecutor’s office, and staged attacks on houses of politicians and government officials. Street violence has reportedly claimed more than 50 loves, with more than 1,300 people receiving injuries. A curfew was declared in the country.