Even as the stage is set for the Sixth Joint Commission meeting at foreign minister level between Nepal and India in New Delhi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been able to propose the agenda and dates because of the internal dispute within the ruling Nepal Communist Party.

As internal dispute inside the ruling Nepal Communist Party has intensified, there has been some delay in giving concurrence to sit in talks, according to two senior foreign ministry officials.

“Therefore, we have not communicated to the Indian side about their proposal to hold the meeting in mid of December,” an official told the Post.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is busy in consultation with stakeholders to prepare the agendas for the upcoming meeting.

Following the visits of India’s two security chiefs and foreign secretary to Kathmandu in last two months Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge of foreign affairs department of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party arrived Kathmandu on Thursday at the invitation of Nepal Communist Party Secretary General and Finance Minister, Bishnu Poudel.

Ahead of the ministerial level meeting, Chauthaiwale met with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday and discussed a wide range of issues, Chauthaiwale tweeted.

As Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali is travelling to New Delhi leading the Nepali delegation in the meeting, political party leaders and experts told the Post that with concrete homework, Nepal should raise the issue of boundary issue, submission of the report of the Eminent Persons’ Group, and stress on building confidence in bilateral ties, expediting economic partnership with India and pushing for early completion of India funded projects among others.

Speaking at the meeting of the International Relations and Human Rights Committee of the Parliament on December 4, Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali said that boundary issues will be raised prominently in the upcoming meeting without disclosing the date.

Gyawali also claimed that after the visit of Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Sringhla to Kathmandu last month, stalled bilateral ties due to boundary dispute is back on track and visit of Samantha Goel, the chief of India’s external intelligence agency in October, has contributed a positive tone in resuming high-level visits.

Though the boundary dispute was mentioned in the statement after Sringhla’s visit in a vague way, Gyawali said that boundary dispute in Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyudhara will be listed in the official agenda during the joint commission's meeting.

Gyawali will be the senior most political leader to visit New Delhi after Nepal and India’s relations reached the nadir in May after the Nepal government issued a new map of the country that placed territories that Nepal claims to be its own and currently occupied by India.

Former foreign and finance minister Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that the meeting should come up with a clear roadmap to resolve the boundary dispute and other pending issues that we have with India in various sectors.

“One important issue our foreign minister should consider is Covid vaccine,” Mahat said. “India is producing two good Covid vaccines so Nepal should take up this matter seriously.”

India is the world’s largest producer of vaccines and is already in talks to produce the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines by its Serum Institute of India.

“Other issues like Nepal’s request for air service routes via India, issue of inundation caused by Indian embankments constructed in India side of the border, extension of economic cooperation, creating a positive environment to get access of Nepali agricultural products in Indian market among others should be raised,” said Mahat.

During the visit of the Indian foreign secretary to Nepal last month, Nepali side had raised the issue of submitting the report of the EPG at earliest but Indian response was not available immediately, said one participant in the delegation level talks between Indian and Nepali foreign secretaries.

The early submission of EPG report should be one prime agenda from Nepal besides the boundary issues, Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, former minister, ambassador to India and coordinator from Nepali side while preparing the EPG report, told the Post.

Formed in 2016, the EPG panel was mandated to suggest the new blueprint of bilateral ties in the changed global and regional context.

The panel, each from four from each side, has suggested both sides on how to review the 1950 peace and friendship treaty between Nepal and India, issue of open border and other issues related to security, trade, commerce, socio-economic dimensions, cultural ties among others.

“We have adequate issues to take up at ministerial level meeting though it is a routine visit. We also have several disputed issues between us. In the context of visits of security officials, resumption of dialogue at political level is a good beginning. On EPG, as I was outside from the country, I do not know much about what progress was made on submitting the EPG report that we are desperately waiting for one and half years,” Thapa said.

There are certain procedures to fix the agenda of the visits. After consultations with line ministries and stakeholders, the foreign ministry prepares the agendas listed under several clusters.

The boundary dispute and submission of the EPG report falls under security and political agenda. There are some titles like water resources; trade, commerce, transit; economic cooperation; cross cross border connectivity; bilateral projects and their progress among others.

According to Durga Prasad Bhattarai, former foreign secretary and ambassador to India, there are indeed a lot of issues to be resolved.

“What position do we have on security and political matters? What are we thinking about the open border issue post-Covid ? Boundary dispute has turned into an issue of the national psyche and how are we thinking of resolving it ? What are we thinking about regional cooperation including resumption of the SAARC process ?” said Bhattarai.

A stage is set for Sixth Joint Commission meeting at foreign minister level between Nepal and India in New Delhi.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is busy in consultation with stakeholders to prepare the agendas for the upcoming meeting and some meetings of bilateral mechanisms between Nepal and India have completed and some are about to complete.

Though both sides have yet to announce the date of the joint commission’s meeting but preparations are taking in full swing, two senior Foreign Ministry officials said, as internal dispute inside the ruling Nepal Communist Party intensified, there was some delay in giving concurrence to sit in talks.

So we have not communicated to the Indian side about their proposal to hold the meeting in mid of December, the official added.

As foreign minister Pradip Gyawali is travelling to New Delhi leading the Nepali delegation in the meeting, political party leaders and experts told the Post that with doing some sincere homework, Nepal should raise the issue of boundary issue, submitting the report of Eminent Persons’ Group, building confidence in bilateral ties, expediting economic partnership with India, pushing for early completion of India funded projects among others.

Speaking at the meeting of International Relations and Human Rights Committee of the Parliament on December 4, Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali said that boundary issues will be raised prominently in the upcoming meeting without giving disclosing the date.

Gyawali also claimed that after the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary to Nepal HarshVardhan Sringhla to Kathmandu last month, stalled bilateral ties due to boundary dispute is back on track and visit of Samantha Goel, the chief of India’s external intelligence agency in October, has contributed a positive tone in resuming high-level visits.

Though the boundary dispute was mentioned in the statement after Sringhla’s visit in an vague way, Gyawali said that boundary dispute in Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyudhara will be listed in the official agenda during the joint commission's meeting.

Last year, Gyawali and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishanker held the fifth meeting in Kathmandu.

Gyawali will be the senior most political leader to visit New Delhi after Nepal and India’s relations reached the nadir point in May after the Nepal government issued a new map of the country that placed territories that Nepal claims to be its own and currently occupied by India.

In order to build confidence in bilateral ties that was hit bottom low after boundary dispute between Nepal and India in last one year, New Delhi has sent two security chiefs and foreign secretary to Kathmandu in last two months and Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge of foreign affairs department of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has arrived Kathmandu on Thursday at the invitation of Nepal Communist Party Secretary General and Finance Minister, Bishnu Poudel. Ahead of the ministerial level meeting, Chauthaiwale met with Prime Minister Oli on Thursday and discussed a wide range of issues, he tweeted.

After competing visits from security and diplomatic level, now, talks are heading towards the political level between two sides and New Delhi sent its senior party leaders and Gyawali is also heading to New Delhi, according to a ruling party leader.

Former Foreign and Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that the meeting should come up with a clear roadmap to resolve the boundary dispute and other pending issues that we have with India in various sectors.

One important issue our foreign minister should consider is Covid vaccine, Mahat added, India is producing two good Covid vaccines so Nepal should take up this matter seriously.

Gyawali’s India visit is expected to reset bilateral exchanges between the two neighbours that had stalled due to a bitter boundary dispute and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“ Besides boundary issues, Nepal also should raise the issue of widening trade gap with India because our trade volume is largely dependent on India. Other issues like Nepal’s request for air service routes via India, issue of inundation caused by Indian embankments constructed in India side of the border, extension of economic cooperation, creating a positive environment to get access of Nepali agricultural products in Indian market among others should be raised,” said Mahat.

The meeting of the international relations and human rights committee later instructed the government to raise the boundary dispute with India prominently so that Nepal’s claim over Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyudhara should be established.

The committee, in its instruction to the government, was told to raise the issue of submitting the report of EPG, removing the embankments constructed in Indian side that are causing concerns in Nepal and seeking a way out to remove the widening trade gap with India.

During the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary to Nepal last month, Nepali side had raised the issue of submitting the report of the EPG at earliest but Indian response is not available immediately, said one participant in the delegation level talks between Indian and Nepali foreign secretaries.

The early submission of EPG report should be one prime agenda from Nepal besides the boundary issues, Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, former minister, ambassador to India and coordinator from Nepali side while preparing the EPG report, told the Post.

Formed in 2016, the EPG panel was mandated to suggest the new blueprint of bilateral ties in the changed global and regional context.

The panel, each from four from each side, has suggested both sides on how to review the 1950 peace and friendship treaty between Nepal and India, issue of open border and other issues related to security, trade, commerce, socio-economic dimensions, cultural ties among others.

“We have adequate issues to take up at ministerial level meeting though it is a routine visit. We also have several disputed issues between us. In the context of visits of security officials, resumption of dialogue at political level is a good beginning. On EPG, as I was outside from the country, I do not know much about what progress was made on submitting the EPG report that we are desperately waiting for one and half years,” Thapa said.

During the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary to Kathmandu, both sides have not mentioned anything about the submitting EPG report.

There are certain procedures to fix the agenda of the visits. After consultations with line ministries and stakeholders, the foreign ministry prepares the agendas listed under several clusters.

The boundary dispute and submission of the EPG report falls under security and political agenda. There are some titles like water resources; trade, commerce, transit; economic cooperation; cross cross border connectivity; bilateral projects and their progress among others.

I think the recently concluded meeting of foreign secretary must laid ground for foreign minister’s level meeting, former foreign secretary and ambassador, Durga Prasad Bhattarai said.

“ What position we have on security and political matters ? What we are thinking about open border issue after post-Covid issue ? Boundary dispute has turned into a issue of national psycche and what we are thinking to resolve it ? This is an avenue for confidence building too. What we are thinking about regional cooperation including resumption of Saarc process ?” said Bhattarai.