- The two heads of states interacted with each other on bolstering India-Nepal cooperation on multiple areas including energy, connectivity and trade
- Prachanda and Modi virtually flagged off checkposts at Rupaidiha in India and Nepalgunj in Nepal.
- They jointly unveiled a plaque of the Kurtha-Bijalpura section of the Railway and also flagged off an Indian Railway cargo train from Bathnaha to Nepal Custom yard
- Groundbreaking ceremony of ICPs at Bhairahawa (Nepal) and Sonauli (India)
IndiGlobal Bureau
lndia and Nepal will strive to take their bilateral ties to Himalayan heights and resolve all matters, including the boundary issue, in this spirit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday after holding wide-ranging talks with his Nepalese counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is on a four-day visit to India, Thursday urged PM Narendra Modi to resolve border issues between the two countries through bilateral talks. Addressing a joint press meet at Hyderabad House in Delhi, Prachanda said he has extended a cordial invitation to PM Modi to visit Nepal. “I look forward to welcoming him in Nepal,” he added.
The two sides also signed seven agreements to boost cooperation in several areas including trade and energy. The two leaders virtually inaugurated integrated check posts at Rupaidiha in India and Nepalgunj in Nepal. They also virtually flagged off a cargo train from Bathnaha in Bihar to Nepal custom yard.
“We will continue to strive to take our relationship to Himalayan heights. And in this spirit, we will resolve all the issues, be it boundary related or any other issue,” Modi said in presence of Prachanda. To further strengthen cultural and religious ties, PM Prachanda and I decided that projects related to the Ramayana circuit should be expedited, he added.
“We have established new rail links to increase physical connectivity. Long term power trade agreement has been established between India and Nepal today. This will give strength to the power sector of our countries. The religious and cultural ties between India and Nepal are very old and strong. To further strengthen this, we have decided that projects related to Ramayana Circuit should be expedited,” PM Modi said.
Importance of India-Nepal ties
India and Nepal need each other for several reasons. The landlocked Nepal relies heavily on India for transportation of goods through sea. Cross border marriages between the people of two countries dates back to decades and Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries.
