Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he has urged his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to resolve contentious issues through the bilateral mechanisms between the two countries.

Prime Minister Dahal, who travelled to New Delhi on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Indian prime minister, met him at Rashtrapati Bhawan after the ceremony.

“During my meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi after the oath-taking ceremony [Sunday evening]...I called for implementing the agreements signed between the two governments during my official visit to India last June,” Dahal said while interacting with Nepali journalists at the Nepali Embassy in Delhi before flying back to Kathmandu.

“I spoke to the prime minister and the federal minister [S Jaishankar] about the need to resolve disputes by activating the border mechanism as well as the South Asian Association Regional Cooperation,” Prime Minister Dahal said. “I am hopeful that discussions on these matters will proceed through the existing mechanisms.”

Prime Minister Dahal appeared optimistic that the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project will also move ahead. The Pancheshwar project was planned nearly three decades ago on the Mahakali river on the Nepal-India border to generate electricity, facilitate irrigation, and control floods. Despite its huge prospects, the project has failed to make progress as Nepal and India have failed to resolve contentious issues like sharing of the project’s costs and benefits.

Speaking to the press upon landing in Kathmandu, Prime Minister Dahal reiterated the claims he made with the journalists at the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi.

Dahal had paid a courtesy call on Indian President Droupadi Murmu at the President’s office on Monday. They discussed matters of bilateral interest, the Embassy of Nepal wrote on social media.

During the meeting with Prime Minister Dahal, Indian President Murmu emphasised India’s priority for Nepal, reads the press statement released by the Indian President’s secretariat. “Nepal is a priority partner under India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, and [President Murmu] conveyed India’s commitment to further strengthen unique ties.”

Prime Minister Dahal’s secretariat said the meeting delved into topics of utmost importance, including centuries-old Nepal-India relations and strengthening people-to-people connections.

On Monday, newly appointed Indian Union Minister S Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dahal at the Taj Hotel, where the prime minister was staying. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and the implementation aspect of the agreements reached between the two countries. Jaishankar was the External Affairs Minister in the immediate past Cabinet of the Modi government. He retained the same ministry later on Monday.

Minister Jaishankar assured that the Indian government was diligently working to expedite the agreements made in the past and that satisfactory progress had been made, according to a member of the Nepali delegation. The Indian minister also reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen relations.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal extended his congratulations to Jaishankar and also expressed his optimism about the future of bilateral ties and people-to-people relations between Nepal and India during Jaishankar’s new tenure as the minister.

A Nepali delegate who was present in the meeting between Prime Minister Dahal and Jaishankar described the meeting as a semi-formal one, but the two leaders discussed important issues.

“During the meeting both sides discussed matters relating to bilateral issues,” said a Nepali delegate member on the condition of anonymity. “India is keen to expedite some projects, which we could sense while participating in the meeting.”

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 240 seats in the 14th Lok Sabha election. Despite BJP falling 32 seats short of securing a majority of its own in the 543-strong assembly, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that he led commanded the majority, paving the way for Modi’s historic third term as prime minister.

Modi has now become the second Indian leader to serve as prime minister for the third consecutive term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India.

During the meeting with the Indian minister Jaishankar, Prime Minister Dahal was accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, and other officials from the Nepali Embassy in India.

Prime Minister Dahal on Monday also met with the delegation of the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). During the interaction both sides discussed the possibilities of investment in Nepal, said the Prime Minister Dahal’s secretariat.

During the meeting, Dahal urged Indian investors to launch ventures in Nepal. “Nepal has created an investment-friendly environment through comprehensive legal reforms,” Dahal’s secretariat quoted him as saying at the meeting with the Indian business community. “We urged Indian investors to explore opportunities in tourism, energy, agriculture, and other sectors.”

FICCI President Anish Shah said that he and his members are interested in investing in Nepal’s energy and tourism sectors.