Relations between Nepal and the Soviet Union were cordial and cooperative. Diplomatic relations were established in 1956. In 1959 embassies were opened in Kathmandu and Moscow. A Soviet economic assistance program that concentrated on the industrial, health, and transportation sectors began shortly thereafter. The gross impact of Soviet aid, however, was inconsequential, and by 1990 it had trickled down only to limited training and technical assistance.
In support of India, the Soviet Union has resisted Nepal's repeated overtures to endorse it as a zone of peace. During a 1987 visit to Kathmandu, however, the Soviet deputy minister of foreign affairs stated that Moscow respected Nepal's constitution, in which the zone of peace concept was entrenched as a foreign policy goal.
Data as of September 1991