Nepal-India relations taken to new height, claims Prachanda

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asserted his four-day-long recent visit to India has played a pivotal role to take the relationship between the two nations to new heights.

Addressing the meeting of the National Assembly to appraise the assembly about his the entourage of India from May 31-June 3, PM Dahal highlighted the progress made during the visit.

“Nepal and India have very old as well as intimate relations. My visit focused on further deepening the existing relation in between the two nations. Focus was laid on economic issues that would benefit the nation for a long whereas on the political side, increasing mutual trust in the coming days progressive talks would be held to solve the rising issues,” Dahal said.

“Meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at (New Delhi’s) Hyderabad House was important among all. During the bilateral meeting talks about trade, transportation, investments, power trade and cross-border transmission line, irrigation, measures to control inundation and floods, agriculture, cross-border connectivity-railways, ICP, bridges as well as dry ports- these issues related to infrastructural development was focused primarily,” the Nepal PM said addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Dahal also stated that PM Modi also talked about taking the Nepal-India relations to the Himalayan heights. Prime Minister Dahal reiterated that his four-day-long official visit to India at the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was centred on further consolidating bilateral relations.

Dahal asserted that positive agreements have been made in matters of trade, transit, irrigation, agriculture, cross-border petroleum pipeline construction, integrated check posts and infrastructure development. He also informed the Parliament that seven papers have been signed and exchanged between Nepal and India during his recent India visit.

PM Dahal added that Nepal’s transit facility has been ensured through India’s domestic waterway. He also stressed that his India visit has contributed to making the Nepal-India relations multi-dimensional and further strengthening them.

Noting that he also held talks on resolving flood and inundation problems in Nepal-India border areas, PM Dahal said talks were held regarding the construction of a concrete bridge at Jhulaghat with India’s support and grants to GP Koirala Institute of Health Science. (ANI)