Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal Sunday said that the country is willing to resolve border tensions with India through diplomacy and an “open-heart” dialogue, news agency PTI reported.
Khanal iterated that the Prime Minister Balendra Shah-led government in Nepal refused to view India through “distorted, hyper-sensitive lens of 21st century geopolitics”. Instead, he said Nepal wants to build a mutually beneficial relationship for prosperity of both nations, PTI quoted.
His remarks come a day after Khanal with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, where both sides vowed to take the bilateral ties to “new heights.” They also reviewed the full spectrum of the relations, covering development cooperation, connectivity, trade and transit, energy, and people-to-people ties, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Khanal said, “Yesterday, on June 6th, I had detailed and productive bilateral talks with my counterpart, Dr S Jaishankar. Our discussions encompass the full spectrum of our bilateral relationships focusing on trade, cross-border connectivity, energy partnership, water resources management, and people-to-people ties.”
Khanal is currently on his , during which he will hold discussions with the Indian delegation to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations. His visit is set to conclude on Sunday.
His visit comes amid a row triggered by on boundary dispute between the two neighbours, when he claimed to have that Nepal may also be “encroaching” or occupying certain areas claimed by India, while reiterating Kathmandu’s position that India has encroached on Nepalese territory.
No problem is too large and no boundary too complex when we sit down with an open heart, Khanal told the reporters. “We look at India with an open heart, clear eyes, and with a single, transparent agenda: the economic transformation of Nepal,” he said.
“True independence means our shared borders act as highly efficient bridges, not frustrating barriers. Rather than engaging in hyper-nationalistic grandstanding, we are pursuing calm, data-driven, and evidence-based discussion to resolve challenges in good faith…,” he described.
The Nepalese Foreign Minister also lauded India’s economic growth.
“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,” he said.
“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 added.
