'Children of Same Rivers': Nepal Eyes Deeper Ties with India, Seeks Diplomatic Solution to Boundary Row

Nepal desires to collaborate with a "rising India" that has established itself as a major economic and technological force and wants to resolve the border row through diplomacy, said Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal on Sunday, effectively endorsing New Delhi's rejection of any third-party involvement. The Nepalese Foreign Minister is on a three-day visit to India, and the remarks came a day after he held wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar."We look at India with an open heart, clear eyes, and with a single, transparent agenda: the economic transformation of Nepal... Rather than engaging in hyper-nationalistic grandstanding, we are pursuing calm, data-driven approach to resolve issues," Khanal said. "We are not

merely neighbours joined by political lines drawn on a map; we are the children of the same rivers, the same mountains and the same ancient wisdom," he added.

Lauding India's economic growth, the foreign minister of Nepal said, "When we look across the border, we see a Rising India - an India that has fundamentally and beautifully redefined itself on the global stage as a dynamic, fast-growing tech and economic powerhouse." "We want to engage with this India of intense aspiration and cutting-edge technology. In turn, we bring the energy of an Aspiring Nepal," he said.Read More -Explained: Why Lipulekh Pass Remains At Centre Of A Two-Century India-Nepal Border Row

"I do understand and acknowledge that there are issues between us. There are issues, outstanding issues, including in border and boundaries, that can and need to be solved through diplomatic dialogues. There are many mechanisms that exist between Nepal and India," he said.Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal's India visit comes amid a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese PM Balendra Shah's recent remarks on the boundary row between the two sides.(With inputs from ANI, PTI)