New Delhi: Nepal’s leadership raised the boundary issue with Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, with both sides discussing ways to hold talks under an appropriate bilateral mechanism.
Shringla arrived in the Nepali capital on Wednesday morning on his first trip as foreign secretary. He was received by his Nepali counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyel at the airport, where he also made remarks in Nepali to the local media.
His first meeting was delegation-level talks with foreign secretary Paudyel, followed by appointments with President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister K.P. Oli and foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali. He also handed over 2,000 vials of Remdesivir to the Nepal government as aid to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Nepali media reports, the boundary issue was raised during all the meetings by Shringla’s Nepali interlocutors.
Nepal claims that India has encroached its territories in Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, which New Delhi emphatically denies. The boundary dispute had first flared up November 2019 and peaked with Nepal parliament amending its constitution in June this year to incorporate those areas into its official logo in June this year.
The visit of the Indian foreign secretary had been highly anticipated as it is expected to heal some of the rifts that have developed over the past year.
As per Online Khabar, a Nepali news portal, the country’s foreign minister Gyawali said that all issues were discussed, including those “outstanding from history” like the border issue and the pending approval to the report of the Eminent Persons Group. “We want to resolve border disputes based on historical facts and proofs,” Gyawali told the website.
Harsh Shringla with Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Photo: Twitter/IndiaInNepal
The Nepal foreign ministry stated in a press release that the two foreign secretaries “discussed the boundary matters and exchanged views on completing the boundary work in the remaining segments”.
Indian government sources stated that both sides “shared their perspectives on boundary matters and discussed ways to take it forward under the appropriate bilateral mechanisms” during the formal discussions.
On the meeting with Prime Minister Oli, sources said that there had been a “candid review” of the state of the bilateral relationship, with the Nepali leader conveying a desire to enhance the level of bilateral engagement.
“The special relations between India and Nepal, and the importance of respecting each other’s sensitivities was noted. Both sides felt that we should focus on the positives of the wide-ranging relationship,” they underlined.
There were discussions on specific projects, including the Pancheswar Multipurpose project and other economic initiatives.
Following the foreign secretary’s visit, other high-level visits are also expected to take place, which was discussed during these meetings. The Indian foreign secretary conveyed an invitation to the Nepali foreign minister to visit India for the next round of the joint commission meeting.
“The need to resume people to people contacts, including commencement of an air travel bubble between India and Nepal, was discussed,” added sources.
Shringla will give a talk at a Kathmandu-based think tank, before going to Gorkha district to inaugurate three schools re-built with Indian assistance. He will also remotely inaugurate an India-funded project to renovate the Tashop Gompa monastery in Manang district.