Nepal, India discuss completing remaining boundary work

 Kathmandu, Nov. 26

 The Nepal-India foreign secretary level meeting on Thursday has discussed about completing the remaining boundary work.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal held bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday afternoon.

"They discussed the boundary matters and exchanged views on completing the boundary work in the remaining segments," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement on Thursday.

The two neighbours have boundary disputes at multiple locations including Kalapani region where Indian army has been stationed for more than six decades.

The talks covered various aspects of Nepal-India bilateral relations in a cordial manner, the MoFA had tweeted in the afternoon.

"They reviewed various aspects of Nepal-India relations covering trade, transit, connectivity, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, investment, culture, people-to-people relations, among others," said the ministry.

The two foreign secretaries discussed the ways to strengthen the strong cultural and civilisational bonds that existed between the two countries and further build on the solid foundation of the multifaceted friendly relations for the benefit of the two countries and peoples, read the statement.

It is reported that they expressed satisfaction about the progress at the bilateral cooperation projects, including key connectivity projects and post-quake reconstruction and shared experiences on the efforts made to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the foreign secretary level bilateral talks, Shringla called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Shital Niwal and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at his residence in Baluwatar in the evening where matters of mutual interests were discussed. Earlier he had called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at his office at Singha Durbar.

 He also handed over 2,000 vials of remdesivir to FM Gyawali where the latter appreciated India for the continuation of generous support.

Shringla had landed in Kathmandu on Thursday morning and was welcomed by Paudyal at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Speaking with the journalists upon his arrival at the TIA, he said that Nepal was a close friend and they would discuss way about strengthening the unique friendship.

Shringla’s meeting is expected to mend the ties between the two countries that hit the rock bottom following the border dispute at Kalapani, northwest Nepal.

A year ago, India unilaterally published its political map incorporating Nepal’s Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura to its territory and ignored Nepal’s multiple protest notes and call for dialogue and instead developed and inaugurated a motorable road from Pithoragadh to Lipulek via Nepali land in May. Indian Minister for Defense Rajnath Singh had inaugurated the road.

Nepal updated its map including the Kalapani region in May this year. The two neighbours had been experiencing uneasiness in their relations for many months but PM Oli’s telephone call to Indian PM Narendra Modi on August 15 broke the ice and paved the way for further communication.

As per the communication with PM Oli, Modi sent RAW Chief Samant Goel as his envoy and what followed is the secretary level meeting between the two countries which was long been stalled and Nepal had been urging the southern neighbour to hold it.

Shringla will deliver a speech about Nepal-India relations at a programme in Kathmandu.

He is also scheduled to visit Gorkha to observe the post-quake housing reconstruction and Manang to inaugurate a monastery renovated with Indian support.

“India had announced support for 50,000 house reconstruction and 40,000 have been rebuilt. Education is also a primary area of our support. Three schools that we rebuilt will be inaugurated on Friday,” he said.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 November 2020.