India and Nepal agree to further deepen and broaden bilateral relationship
New Delhi, June 6
The Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi on Saturday stated in a press release that India and Nepal agreed to further deepen and broaden their bilateral relationship during talks between Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, and the Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar.
"Both sides agreed to further deepen and broaden the bilateral relationship through development partnerships, enhanced connectivity, and strong partnership on priority areas of mutual benefit," read the press release.
The press release noted that the two Ministers made joint announcements regarding the operationalisation of P2P cross-border payment transactions under the MoU between NCHL and NPCI, signed in June 2023, and the handover of 72 health sector and 12 cultural sector post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal, built with India's development assistance.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also exchanged between Kathmandu University School of Engineering's Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence and Digital India Bhashini Division for co-creating the National Digital Infrastructure for "Voice First" Language Translation Platform.
The two Ministers held wide-ranging and productive discussions on the full spectrum of Nepal-India bilateral relations during the meeting.
"The discussions encompassed areas of trade and economic cooperation, cross-border connectivity, energy partnership, water resources management, and the promotion of people-to-people ties, including through sports," noted the Embassy.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the enduring partnership between the two neighbouring countries.
The two Ministers also reviewed progress on ongoing bilateral projects and cooperation initiatives and exchanged views on ways to accelerate their implementation.
They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern, including cooperation within multilateral forums.
Khanal also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at his office in New Delhi on Saturday. Both of them discussed various matters related to further strengthening Nepal-India bilateral relations.
Nepal's FM Khanal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on Sunday.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Nice to see the foreign minister meeting with the NSA too. But honestly, I hope these discussions go beyond just infrastructure. Nepal has been feeling the heat from China's increasing presence in the region. India needs to be more proactive in addressing Nepal's concerns about sovereignty and border issues. Talk is cheap without action.
As someone who has family in both countries, this is heartening. The MoU on digital language translation between universities is particularly interesting - imagine using AI to translate Maithili or Bhojpuri in real-time! That will help millions of people. Also good to see 72 health projects being handed over - Nepal's healthcare needs all the support it can get.
As an Indian living in the US, I watch these developments with interest. India's "Neighbourhood First" policy is getting some real substance here - cross-border payments, digital infrastructure, energy partnerships. But I do wonder if enough attention is being given to climate change cooperation? Nepal's glaciers are melting fast, and that affects India's water security too.
The P2P payment system is a big deal for Indian workers in Nepal and Nepali workers in India. My friend in Delhi sends money home to his family in Pokhara every month - this will make it cheaper and faster. Also, the focus on sports ties is nice to see, maybe we can have more cricket matches between the two countries!
I think it's important that both sides discussed "water resources management" - Nepal's rivers are our lifeline for irrigation and power in UP and Bihar. But India needs to be careful
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