'India did its duty by helping Nepal': Sushma tells Ram Baran Yadav

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav here on Thursday and said there is no need for him to thank India for helping the neighbouring country in its hour of need.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the President of Nepal Ram Baran Yadav at his official residence at Shital Niwas. The President of Nepal thanked the External Affairs Minister and the Indian leadership for the tremendous assistance that they had provided to Nepal in its hour of need," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

"In particular, he mentioned of the sterling role made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the reconstruction effort. The External Affairs Minister said that there was no need for Nepal to really thank India because India only did what was their duty of any neighbour. In the times of distress, it is the neighbour who comes to aid first, relatives and friends come later," he added.

Swaraj, who is presently in Nepal on a two-day visit, had yesterday called on Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and conveyed to him that India will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the quake-battered country in its massive reconstruction efforts and ensure 'quickest' recovery.