India and Nepal have agreed to "reactivate" existing bilateral mechanisms on border issues and ensure that their meetings are held more regularly, informed sources say.
The gap between meetings of various bilateral mechanisms has been too long, so both ministers have decided to activate all mechanisms and ensure that they meet more frequently, one Nepali official said.
As there are already a few dedicated and well-established mechanisms to address boundary issues, both foreign ministers Dr S Jaishankar and his counterpart Shisir Khanal agreed to resolve differences through dialogue.
If necessary, the top political leaderships of the two countries will provide guidance, it has been assured,
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal clarified that Nepal has not sought the mediation of any third country for the resolution of its border dispute with India, reiterating Kathmandu’s longstanding position that all outstanding issues should be settled through bilateral dialogue and diplomatic mechanisms.
Addressing journalists at the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday, Khanal sought to clear the confusion surrounding recent remarks by Prime Minister Balendra Shah on historical documents related to Nepal's territorial claims.
“We need historical evidence, and we simply wanted to explore whether we could gain access to certain documents that may be available in libraries or archives in the UK. However, this does not mean that we have sought mediation. That is not what he [PM Shah] intended to convey,” Khanal said.
“If you listened to what he said in Parliament, he stated very clearly and specifically that we want to resolve our border disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels.
This has been Nepal’s longstanding position, and it remains our position today,” Khanal said.
Khanal noted that many of the border disputes stem from historical developments linked to the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, which defined the modern boundary between Nepal and British India.
“When we sit down at the negotiating table, these issues will be resolved through discussions between the two sides and through diplomatic mechanisms. We want to settle our differences through diplomatic processes,” he said.
Dr S Jaishankar with Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on June 6, New Delhi
The clarification came a day after Khanal held bilateral talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Statements issued separately by the foreign ministries of Nepal and India following the meeting did not explicitly mention the long-standing border disputes, prompting questions in Nepal amid growing domestic pressure on the government to raise the issue with India.
Nepal wants to resolve the border row with India through diplomacy as no problem is too large if both sides sit across with an "open heart", Nepalese foreign minister Shishir Khanal said on Sunday.
Khanal said the new government in Kathmandu refuses to look at India through the "distorted, hyper-sensitive lens of 21st century geopolitics" and instead wants to build a mutually beneficial relationship for overall prosperity of both the nations.
No problem is too large and no boundary too complex when we sit down with an open heart, Khanal said "We look at India with an open heart, clear eyes, and with a single, transparent agenda: the economic transformation of Nepal," he said.
"Rather than engaging in hyper-nationalistic grandstanding, we are pursuing calm, data-driven approach to resolve issues," Khanal said.
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