Mild Snub !
New Delhi
India on Saturday, April 2, made a strong pitch that the boundary issue between it and Nepal ought to be solved in a 'responsible manner' and through 'discussion and dialogue' only.
"I think there was a sense that we should address it through discussion and dialogue," Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla told reporters after Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sher Bahadur Deuba spoke on various issues at length to strengthen bilateral ties.
"The issue (on boundary matters) was briefly discussed," Shringla said adding, "There was a general understanding that both sides needed to address this in a responsible manner through discussion and dialogue in the spirit of our close and friendly relations".
He stated that - "....politicisation of such issues needs to be avoided".
In his statement to the media, Nepal PM Deuba said the boundary issue was discussed and
he urged Modi to resolve it through the establishment of a 'bilateral mechanism'.
It may be mentioned here that Shringla had visited Nepal in November 2020 with an aim to reset the ties
after differences and controversies had cropped up.
Shringla's visit was followed by a visit to India by then Nepalese foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
Of course, ties between two neighbours came under severe strain after Nepal published a new political
map in 2020 showing three Indian territories - Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh - as part of Nepal.
India had flayed the decision calling it a "unilateral act" and had also cautioned that such "artificial enlargement"
of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it.
The row started after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road
connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand in May 2020.
Nepal had protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory.
The controversial Nepal's 'new map' was circulated during the tenure of K P Sharma Oli as the Prime
Minister.
However, at a later stage, the then Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in October 2020 has sprang a surprise.
In his customary Vijaya Dashami greetings to citizens, Oli had indicated a softer line and used an 'old map
of Nepal' to greet everyone on the festive season.
The 'old map' did not show the region of Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura, which is part of India’s Pithoragarh district
in Uttarakhand.
Importantly, Oli's Vijaya Dashami greetings come within days of his meeting with Indian external intelligence agency
RAW chief Samant Kumar Goel.
On October 22, 2020, Goel had paid a 'courtesy call' on the Nepalese Prime Minister.
Indian army chief Gen M M Naravane also visit Nepal in the first week of November in 2020.
Predictably, the opposition Nepali Congress leaders had criticised PM Oli for issuing the 'old map'.
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New Delhi
A number of documents and MoUs were signed and exchanged between India and Nepal in the presence of two Prime Ministers Narendra Modi Sher Bahadur Deuba here on Saturday, April 2.
Nepal officially joins the International Solar Alliance, a forum at global scale launched with the personal initiative of Narendra Modi.
"Deuba ji is an old friend of India. As the PM, this is his fifth visit to India ...The friendship between India and Nepal, relation between our people - such an example can't be seen anywhere else in the world," the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also said that Deuba has played an 'important role' in developing the India-Nepal relationship.
India has been a firm companion in Nepal's journey of peace, prosperity and development; it will always be, he said.
"Our Joint Vision Statement on Power Cooperation will prove to be the blueprint of cooperationin the future," he said, adding both of us also agree that "we must reap the benefits of the opportunities for cooperation in the power sector".
"We discussed various aspects of our cooperation, reviewed the progress of various projects and also discussed the blueprint of the future.," the Prime Minister said.
Both the Prime Ministers jointly launched RuPay in Nepal and also flagged off a numberof India-developed and assisted projects for the Himalayan nation.
"The launch of the RuPay card in Nepal will add a new chapter to our financial connectivity," Mr Modi said.
Among various such initiatives they jointly inaugurated the Solu Corridor 132 KV Power Transmission Line and Substation in Nepal built under Govt of India's Line of Credit.
Earlier in a tweet, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said the nations would be"working together to take India-Nepal relations to newer heights".
Both the Prime Ministers also jointly inaugurated cross-border passenger train services between Jaynagar (India) and Kurtha (Nepal) built under India's Grant Assistance.
PM Modi said, "We agreed on greater participation by Indian companies in Nepal's hydropower development plans".
"Prime Minister Deuba and I agreed to give priority to trade and cross-border connectivity initiatives between two countries,"Mr Modi said.
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Nepal's ties with India is highly important, says Sher Bahadur Deuba
New Delhi
Indo-Nepal ties is of high importance, visiting Nepal Prime Minister She Bahadur Deubasaid here on Saturday.
He was addressing a joint media conference after delegation level talks with PM Narendra Modi.
"As PM Modi mentioned, we had friendly talks and fruitful discussions on various aspects of India-Nepal relations," he said adding, "We shared our perspectives on further strengthening our friendly ties".
"I admire the progress that India is making under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi. We have seen India's effective management battling COVID19 and received first vaccine aid from India as well as medicines, medical equipment and logistics to combat COVID,"Deuba said.
He further said, "I truly admire your love and affection for Nepal and the Nepali people and my visit today will further enforce these innate sentiments".
"We discussed the boundary issue and I urged PM Modi to resolve it through the establishment of a bilateral mechanism," the visiting Nepali leader said.
Deuba and his spouse are on a three-day visit to India from Friday. They would be visitingpilgrim city of Varanasi as well.
On Friday, Nepal PM visited BJP headquarters in the capital where saffron party'snational president J P Nadda welcomed the visiting dignitaries.
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