Miscellaneous
Nepal, India PMs for implementing pacts
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of Brics Summit in Goa on Sunday.Kamal Dev Bhattarai
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of Brics Summit in Goa on Sunday.
During the meeting, they agreed to put emphasis on implementing agreements reached during Dahal’s state visit to India in September.
The two prime ministers also agreed to address the outstanding issues during the Joint Commission meeting led by respective foreign minsters to be held on October 27 and 28, according to Nepal’s Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, who was present during the talks.
The two leaders also discussed trade barriers faced by Nepali traders while exporting goods to India and reviewed preparations for Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s three-day visit to Nepal in the first week of November.
Dahal briefed Modi on his government’s efforts to accommodate aspirations of all sections of the society to implement the new constitution, according to officials.
Foreign Ministers and other officials from both countries were present during the meeting, which started two hours behind schedule due to the leaders’ other engagements. Although the two leaders did not discuss the issue
of rescheduling the Saarc Summit, Indian officials informally told the Nepali side that there was no
conducive environment at present to convene the regional meet.
Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Dahal had addressed Bimstec leaders’ retreat where he stressed on connectivity.
“Connectivity in all forms must be pursued with topmost priority. For a landlocked country like ours, the importance of physical connectivity, among others, cannot be overemphasised,” Dahal said.
“Energy cooperation should be directed towards ensuring energy security for all of us. Region’s diverse sources of energy could be harnessed to establish a reliable energy mix for the region. Nepal offers huge renewable energy sources in terms of hydropower.