Kathmandu: Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal held bilateral talks with India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in New Delhi with the objective of further strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
During the meeting held on Saturday, the two ministers held comprehensive and constructive discussions on all aspects of Nepal–India relations. The discussions covered areas including trade and economic cooperation, expansion of cross-border connectivity, energy partnership, water resource management, sports cooperation, and the promotion of people-to-people ties.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two neighboring countries. The meeting also reviewed the progress of various ongoing bilateral projects and cooperation programs. In addition, the two sides exchanged views on measures to accelerate and effectively implement these projects.
The ministers also discussed issues of mutual interest at the regional and international levels and agreed to enhance cooperation in multilateral forums.
Several important joint announcements were made during the meeting:
First, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2023 between Nepal Clearing House and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the two sides decided to operationalize a cross-border person-to-person payment system.
Second, India formally handed over to Nepal 72 health-sector projects and 12 cultural-sector projects completed under post-earthquake reconstruction assistance.
Third, a Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged between the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence under Kathmandu University School of Engineering and the Digital India Bhashini Division. Under this agreement, the two sides will collaborate on developing national digital infrastructure for a “voice-first” language translation platform.
Foreign Minister Khanal, who traveled to India on Friday, is scheduled to return to Kathmandu today. During his visit, he also held discussions with India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
