Dr. Rana, Mahawar agree to call meeting of Boundary Working Group

 Kathmandu, Jan. 29

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India, Munu Mahawar paid a courtesy call to Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, in Kathmandu on Wednesday where the two agreed on the need to hold the meeting of the Nepal-India Boundary Working Group soon to facilitate necessary discussions on border issues.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement that the meeting took note that the Group, a mechanism for addressing border-related matters, had not convened in recent years, despite the 2024 Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting directing it to do so promptly.

Dr. Rana and Mahawar discussed various aspects of Nepal-India relations, mutual concerns, shared interests and areas of future cooperation, the MoFA informed in a statement.

FM Dr. Rana reiterated Nepal’s longstanding request for additional air routes from India and direct flights from various Indian cities to Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport. She urged Secretary Mahawar to convey Nepal’s request to the Indian government as a priority.

The meeting further highlighted the recent success of the Nepal-India Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) on trade and the bilateral energy discussions held in Kathmandu this month. Both sides stressed the importance of continuing such engagements to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Likewise, Dr. Rana requested India’s support in facilitating the transportation of essential equipment and construction materials for the road being built from Darchula to Tinker via the eastern side of the Mahakali River. Due to the region’s difficult terrain, Nepal has formally sought permission to transport these materials through Indian territory.

The border issue was also talked about at a meeting held earlier on Tuesday between the visiting Additional Secretary, Mahawar and Nepal's Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.     

The two had also discussed cross-border crime and its mitigation, cooperation between the border security forces of the two countries and the construction of an integrated customs facility at Dodhara Chandani of Kanchanpur. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 30 January 2025.