Nepal, India to review bilateral ties after delay

After months of delay, officials from Nepal and India will finally review bilateral ties as Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale arrives here on Thursday.

The fifth meeting of the Joint Commission at Foreign Ministers' level in Kathmandu, which was initially proposed for February, did not take place at the time, reports the Kathmandu Post.

Officials from both the countries are expecting to use Gokhale's visit to review and assess the past commitments that were made during the visits of Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to India and two return visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nepal last year.

"As India is gearing up for general elections, the meeting of the Joint Commission at Foreign Ministers' level was postponed. That's why a meeting at the foreign secretary level is taking place to ensure smooth execution of old and new agreements and understandings reached with India," Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told the Kathmandu Post.

During former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to New Delhi in 2016, the two neighbours had set up the Nepal-India Oversight Mechanism to review the status of the India-funded projects in Nepal .

Later, new agreements were signed during Oli's visit to India, and the two leaders reached an understanding to resolve all outstanding bilateral issues during Modi's visit to Kathmandu last May.

Other issues and agendas on the table during the meeting are cross-border rail projects, construction of the Integrated Check Posts, transmission lines, Upper Karnali hydro electricity project, Arun III project, Pancheshwar Development Authority, Tarai road projects, Mahakali bridges, Line of Credit projects and reconstruction projects funded by India.

Apart from holding talks with Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, Gokhale is also expected to meet Oli and Gyawali.

--IANS

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