NEPAL wants to resolve its border dispute with India through existing bilateral mechanisms as “no problem is too large and complex” when both sides meet with an open heart, rational mind and mutual respect, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Sunday, effectively endorsing New Delhi’s rejection of any third-party involvement. Khanal said Kathmandu refuses to see New Delhi through the “distorted, hyper-sensitive lens” of 21st-century geopolitics and instead aims to look at India with “clear eyes and a single transparent agenda of economic transformation of Nepal”. The Nepalese Foreign Minister was speaking to the media a day after holding wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that focused on ways to further expand ties in diverse sectors, including trade, critical technology, connectivity and energy.

 

His three-day trip to New Delhi from Friday came against the backdrop of a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s recent remarks on the boundary row between the two sides. Shah had also suggested involvement of China and the UK to resolve the issue. The Nepalese Foreign Minister, acknowledging India’s transformation into a rapidly growing global economic and technological powerhouse, expressed Nepal’s desire to engage with this “dynamic neighbour” by contributing its own aspiring energy to the partnership. “Our primary responsibility is to close the gap between bold promises made on paper and the physical reality delivered on the ground, transitioning away from abstract political statements to deliver measurable, life-changing results,” he said.