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India and Nepal share a "special" relationship and there is an opportunity to "decisively" shift the engagement to realise its full potential, External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during a meeting with his Nepalese counterpart Shishir Khanal. Jaishankar reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "sentiment regarding India's commitment to working with Nepal for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries".
Nepalese Foreign Minister on 3-Day India Visit
Khanal kicked off a three-day trip to New Delhi on Friday to strengthen bilateral ties, a visit overshadowed by a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recent remarks on the boundary row between the two sides.
Relationship With India Nepal's Highest Priority, Says Khanal
In his comments at the meeting with Jaishankar, Khanal said Nepal accords "highest priority" to its relationship with India and the Shah-led government is ready to engage "substantively and purposefully" with New Delhi.
"We carry no old baggage and have only firm resolve for a genuinely transformative relationship with our close neighbour and the most important partner," he said.
India-Nepal Roti-Beti Ties
Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.
Jaishankar described his talks with Khanal as "productive" and said the detailed discussions on the "unique" India-Nepal partnership covered development cooperation, connectivity, energy, hydropower, education, health, capacity building, digital, culture and sports.
"Reiterated India's commitment to work with Nepal for mutual progress, prosperity and well-being of our peoples," he said on social media.
India Hands Over 72 Health Facilities to Nepal
Following the meeting, the Indian side virtually handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects to Nepal under the reconstruction programme launched after the 2015 earthquake in that country.
India-Nepal Launch UPI-Nepal National Payments Interface Linkage
Jaishankar and Khanal also jointly launched the linkage between India's UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payment system and Kathmandu's National Payments Interface in Nepal to facilitate cross-border personal remittances.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, the external affairs minister delved into various facets of the close bilateral relations between the two sides.
"India and Nepal share a very special relationship, one which is built on a strong foundation of vibrant people-to-people ties, cross-border connect and shared cultural and religious traditions," he said.
"It is anchored by shared trust, goodwill, and mutual benefit. Our bilateral ties have steadily developed in areas like trade, commerce, investments, energy, development cooperation, education, disaster response, and culture," he added.
The external affairs minister said there is an opportunity to also advance ties in newer domains like startups, artificial intelligence, information technology and renewable energy.
"There are strong complementarities between the objectives outlined by your government and the initiatives that India has taken in the neighbourhood," he said.
"I want today to very clearly and strongly send a message of collaboration and cooperation. We believe that today there is an opportunity to decisively shift the trajectory of India-Nepal relations and to realise the full potential of our ties," he noted.
Jaishankar said both sides collaborate closely to maintain security "along our long and uniquely open border".
"Our two countries have always stood by each other in times of need. In the wake of the ongoing crisis in West Asia, we have ensured uninterrupted fuel supplies to Nepal," he said.
When Nepal PM Sought China, UK Mediation To Resolve Border Issue With India
Late last month, Nepalese Prime Minister Shah sought involvement of China and the United Kingdom to address the long-standing border dispute between India and Nepal.
Days later, New Delhi categorically rejected any role for third parties to resolve its boundary row with Nepal, saying the two countries have an established bilateral mechanism to deal with all aspects of the border issue.
At the end of the Jaishankar-Khanal talks, an agreement was also firmed up between Digital India Bhashini and Kathmandu University to co-create the National Digital Infrastructure for a 'Voice First' language translation platform for Nepal.
