Kathmandu, Aug. 15
Nepal and India have agreed to delibereate on bilateral
matters in the days ahead.
In a telephone call on Saturday, the prime ministers of
Nepal and India, KP Sharma Oli and Narendra Modi, have agreed to continue talks
on the bilateral issues in the days to to come, according to the the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
PM Oli had called his his Indian counterpart to
congratulate him and the Indian people on the ocassion of the 74th
Independence Day of India.
This is the first high-level talks between the two
countries after four months, following a conversation between the two prime
ministers on 10 April 2020.
PM Oli extended best wishes for the continued progress
and prosperity of the people of India and appreciated PM Modi's renewed
priority to neighbourhood as spelt in his Independence Day adress on Saturday.
"The two Prime
Ministers exchanged views on the latest efforts in the fight against COVID-19
and agreed to work together in this area. The Prime Minister of Nepal highlighted
the efforts of Nepal against the pandemic and protect the life of the
people," read a statement by MoFA.
While underlining the need
for early development of anti-COVID-19 vaccine, PM Oli expressed hope that
scientists around the world, including in India, would be able to develop it
that would contribute to control and prevent the disease from spreading
further.
Prime Minister Oli also congratulated
Prime Minister Modi on India’s election to a non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council and expressed best wishes for the successful discharge of this
important responsibility.
Likewise, the leaders
expressed mutual solidarity in the context of the efforts being made to
minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both the countries. "Prime
Minister offered India's continued support to Nepal in this regard,"
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
According to the MoFA, PM
Modi also thanked PM Oli for the telephone call and recalled the civilizational
and cultural links the two countries share.
The talks have occurred on
the eve a meeting of the Nepal-India Oversight Mechanism likely to take place next
week. The meeting will review the bilateral development projects in Nepal and
ensure their timely implementation and completion.
The meeting will be led by
Foreign Secretary of Nepal Shankar Das Bairagi and Indian Ambassador to Nepal
Binay Mohan Kwatra, and will be organised online amidst the growing threat of
coronavirus in Kathmandu.
India is one of the largest
development supporters in Nepal with its involvement in larger infrastructure
projects in energy, reconstruction, railway and road transportation such as Arun
III Hydroelectricity Project, cross-border railway, Postal Highway, post-quake
reconstruction, and integrated check posts.
However, Nepal is still
awaiting some concrete talks and steps regarding the border disputes between
the two countries including that in Kalapani area in Darchula district in the north
western tip of the country. While India is yet to accept the report of the
Eminent Persons Group (EPG) that puts forth recommendations after reviewing the
past agreements and treaties between the two countries, Nepal awaits for the
earliest reorientation in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
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