EPG prepares final joint report

Hopes to usher bilateral relations to a newer height

 

Kathmandu, June 30: The Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India Relations has prepared the final joint report.

The ninth meeting of the EPG held here on Friday and Saturday finalised the report and announced that it had completed its duties and responsibilities assigned by Nepal and India.

Although the EPG had said that the eighth meeting held in New Delhi in April 2018 would be the last meeting, the ninth meeting was called as the New Delhi meeting failed to sort out some issues. However, the group has finished its work in time.

"The EPG has sorted out all the issues between the two countries amicably. The group will now submit the joint report to the prime ministers of both the countries at the earliest," said Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, coordinator of the EPG in Nepal.

He said that the deliberations between the Nepali and Indian teams had created a document that would take the relationship between the two countries to a newer height.

The issues of the joint report will come into open discussion after submitting it to the prime ministers of Nepal and India.

India has agreed to address the issue of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Similarly, Nepal has assured the Indian side that the border regulation issue between the two countries would be addressed to curb terrorism, extremism, illegal currency and drug trafficking.

Cordial relations between the present governments of the two countries had also contributed to the timely conclusion of the joint report.

The EPG was formed during the first prime ministership of KP Sharma Oli, and the issue was included in the joint press statement of PM Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi issued during Oli's visit to India early this year.

The EPG Nepal team has Bhekh B. Thapa as coordinator and Nilambar Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyaya as members while the Indian team includes Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the coordinator and Jayant Prasad, BC Upreti and Mahendra P. Lama as members.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 July 2018.