India, Nepal to address boundary issue through talks; 4 pacts inked

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New Delhi, April 2

India expressed its willingness to discuss the boundary issue with Nepal, but sidestepped its visiting Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s suggestion to PM Narendra Modi to resolve the boundary dispute through a bilateral mechanism.

“We have discussed the border issue and I have proposed to resolve it through bilateral mechanisms,” said Deuba at a joint press conference with PM Modi soon after bilateral talks on Saturday.

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“There was a general understanding that both sides needed to address this in a responsible manner through discussion and dialogue and that politicisation of such issues needs to be avoided,” acknowledged Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at a press conference later.

But on Deuba’s specific suggestion for a bilateral mechanism, Shringla said the two sides had a brief discussion and generally felt that “we need to have dialogue and discussion”. “And we have no doubt that the two neighbouring friendly countries will find a way to surmount these issues,” he said.

But for this blip, both sides inked four agreements. One makes Nepal a member of the International Solar Alliance and the remaining three are on Indian technical assistance to Nepal’s railway sector, cooperation in petroleum and exchange of expertise between Nepal Oil Corporation and IOC. On Friday, Deuba was the first Nepali Congress president to visit the BJP headquarters. In a sign of warm ties, he will visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple accompanied by Yogi.

These are capped by an agreement to expand cooperation in the power and energy sector under the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) framework.

Both flagged off the Kurtha-Jayanagar cross-border train and launched India’s RuPay digital card for use in Nepal and inaugurated a 132 kv power transmission line in Nepal built under an Indian line of credit.