National
Visit will strengthen bilateral ties: PM
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the Nepal visit by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee would help strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the Nepal visit by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee would help strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.
“My visit earlier to India helped strengthen relations between the two countries and has given a sense of optimism for further collaboration for peace and prosperity in the region,” said Dahal, addressing a bilateral dialogue on ‘Nepal and India: Exploring New Vistas’.
The two-day interaction, jointly organised by India Foundation Neeti Anusandhaan Pratishthan and Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies, between delegations of the two countries will focus on sharing experiences on inclusive democracy, bonds beyond borders, connectivity and freedom of movement, sharing the federal experience, geopolitical imperatives and economic growth in the region.
Urging both sides to capitalise on the potential of the changing dynamics of ties between Nepal and India, Dahal said the two countries should also focus on trilateral relations between Nepal, India and China for economic growth. “New latitudes have emerged. We have to tap the water sector, enhance our trade capacity and lure investments. There is so much opportunity to be seized,”the prime minister said. National General Secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of India, Ram Madhav, said the two counties should go hand in hand to strengthen democracies of both countries by sharing and learning from each other’s experiences.
“After 70 years of independence, we can proudly say that we are the largest and a successful democracy. Our democratic power lies in the hands of the people.”
Recalling how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing Nepal’s Parliament last year, said how relations between the two countries were ‘higher than the Himalayas and deeper than the ocean’, he said India was eager to improve on trade activities and connectivity. “The gesture of how Nepal’s president received our president at the airport shows the goodwill and touching relations we share,” said Madhav. Lok Raj Baral, former ambassador to India, said that Mukherjee’s visit would take Nepal-India relations to new heights.