Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has clarified that Nepal has not sought the mediation of any third country for the resolution of its border dispute with India, reiterating Kathmandu’s longstanding position that all outstanding issues should be settled through bilateral dialogue and diplomatic mechanisms.

Addressing journalists at the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday before returning to Kathmandu, Khanal sought to clear the confusion surrounding recent remarks by Prime Minister Balendra Shah on historical documents related to Nepal's territorial claims.

“We need historical evidence, and we simply wanted to explore whether we could gain access to certain documents that may be available in libraries or archives in the UK. However, this does not mean that we have sought mediation. That is not what he [PM Shah] intended to convey,” Khanal said.

“If you listened to what he said in Parliament, he stated very clearly and specifically that we want to resolve our border disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels. This has been Nepal’s longstanding position, and it remains our position today,” Khanal said.

Khanal noted that many of the border disputes stem from historical developments linked to the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, which defined the modern boundary between Nepal and British India.

“When we sit down at the negotiating table, these issues will be resolved through discussions between the two sides and through diplomatic mechanisms. We want to settle our differences through diplomatic processes,” he said.

The clarification came a day after Khanal held bilateral talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi. Statements issued separately by the foreign ministries of Nepal and India following the meeting did not explicitly mention the long-standing border disputes, prompting questions in Nepal amid growing domestic pressure on the government to raise the issue with India.

Diplomatic sources, however, said the matter featured prominently during the ministers’ restricted meeting featuring top officials from the two sides. This happened before the delegation-level talks.

According to two Nepali officials familiar with the discussions, the two foreign ministers agreed to reactivate existing bilateral mechanisms on border issues and ensure that their meetings are held more regularly.

“The gap between meetings of various bilateral mechanisms has been too long, so both ministers have decided to activate all mechanisms and ensure that they meet more frequently,” one Nepali official closely following developments in New Delhi said.

“As we have dedicated and well-established mechanisms to address boundary issues, both ministers agreed to resolve differences through dialogue. If necessary, the top political leaderships of the two countries will provide guidance."

As part of that effort, the Survey Officials’ Committee (SOC), a technical mechanism under the Boundary Working Group (BWG), is expected to meet on August 24-25. The BWG, the highest bilateral body dealing with technical boundary matters, will convene thereafter to review progress.

Established in 2014, the BWG is responsible for the construction, restoration and maintenance of boundary pillars and other technical aspects of border management. Both countries have agreed to complete all remaining boundary-related technical work by 2028, except for the disputed areas of Kalapani and Susta.

Khanal acknowledged that several bilateral mechanisms had been dormant in recent years.

“There is no harm in sitting at the table and discussing these issues,” he said. “The mood on both sides is positive.”

The border issue regained prominence last month after India and China agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through Lipulekh Pass, an area Nepal claims as part of its territory. Kathmandu subsequently conveyed its objections to both countries through diplomatic channels.

Talking to Indian media representatives, the minister said we have expressed our position through an official diplomatic note to both India and China.

“We’ve clearly said to both countries that the land belongs to us. That's been our historical claim...Many of these border disputes are part of a long historical legacy, especially the Nepal-India border. We want to solve our disputes through diplomatic processes. We just want to see if we can access some of the documents that might be in libraries or museums in the UK. Our position was not that we were asking for mediation..."

But “our concerns relate to the renewal of the agreement between India and China through the Kalapani and Lipulekh area, where we have maintained for a long time that the land belongs to Nepal,” Khanal told Indian journalists. “Without Nepal’s consent, the two countries cannot make such agreements.”

“We have expressed our position through official diplomatic notes to both India and China,” he added.

Jaishankar also assured Khanal that he would visit Nepal before the United Nations General Assembly session in September, according to a top Nepali official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The boundary issues, these are very long, outstanding issues. So what we proposed is that even on the boundary issues, there are mechanisms that existed between the two countries, but many of these mechanisms have remained dormant. I think the spirit on both sides is that there’s no harm in sitting at the table and discussing it…” he told the Indian mediapersons.

Beyond boundary issues, the ministers discussed ways to expedite cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, civil aviation, agriculture and water resources.

Nepal once again raised the issue of securing additional air entry routes from India to facilitate operations of Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport. According to officials, both sides agreed to convene a meeting of the relevant technical committee within a month.

Khanal also urged India to consider establishing accredited testing laboratories in Nepal to facilitate the export of Nepali tea and agricultural products and reduce recurring trade disruptions.

The ministers reviewed progress on cross-border transmission lines, flood management, irrigation cooperation, rail connectivity and energy trade. Nepal also pushed for early operationalisation of the proposed Janakpur-Ayodhya rail link.

Reflecting on his first official visit to India as foreign minister, Khanal said one of his primary objectives was to restart high-level political engagement between the two countries after a prolonged gap.

“The last high-level visit was almost two years ago, and a lot has changed in Nepal over the past year,” he said.

“I found our engagement with the Indian leadership very productive. We discussed connectivity, energy, bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation very openly. I am returning with optimism and hope that these discussions will begin producing concrete outcomes in the coming months,” Khanal said.

Khanal also reiterated that the report prepared by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations can only be formally received by the prime ministers of the two countries, as the body was established by mutual agreement between them.

“The report can only be submitted to the two prime ministers. I have no authority to accept it or make it public,” he said.

“We hope to see Janakpur-Ayodhya rail connectivity very soon. That’s something we discussed.”

On the expected visit by PM Shah, he says, “This is my first visit. I view it as the beginning of such visits. I hope that high-level visits will now commence from both sides. And I believe we can expect these visits to become part of regular exchanges between the two countries.”

He said he is returning to Kathmandu with high optimism.

“Historically, our relations have been excellent. The relationship is very dynamic. So we have actually put all the issues forward. We’ve discussed that, and the spirit of collaboration is very, very high, which is what I’ve found in Delhi. I’m going back very optimistic and also with a lot of hope that these discussions that we’ve started yesterday will immediately result in an outcome over the next few months.”

When asked about the ongoing Gen-Z movement in India, Khanal chose to sidestep the question.

I came with two broad objectives, he told reporters, one: “to start the highest-level political visits between the two countries.”

“The second was to communicate the new government's priority. I found our engagement with the NSA [Ajit Doval], the external affairs minister and his team yesterday very productive and engaging. And we’ve discussed a variety of issues from connectivity, bilateral relationship, to energy and multilateral engagements. So on all fronts, we’ve discussed very openly with an open heart.”