India Nepal pursuing mutual cooperation: Nepal's Foreign Minister

India and Nepal are interdependent and the two countries are pursuing mutual cooperation by putting economic development at its center, Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event organised on the eve of India's 73rd Independence Day, Gyawali said a prosperous India could be an opportunity for Nepal and a stable and prosperous Nepal would be in the interest of India.

India has achieved significant progress on the economic front, securing its position on the list of five to six big economies in the world, he said.

Gyawali said both the neighbours were pursuing mutual cooperation by putting the economic development at the center.

Former Foreign Minister Prakash Chandra Lohani said India was an emerging power in the world and was working for the progress of humanity.

Nepal-India relations have four dimensions: political, economic, security and cultural, and of them; economic relation is of great significance, he said.

He also suggested the Nepal government to seek India's support and goodwill to reduce the country's high trade deficit with the southern neighbour.

Former Foreign Minister and Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat said India had been an inspiration for many countries for the democratic movement including Nepal.

Nepal's veteran political leaders such as B P Koirala, Manmohan Adhikari, Surya Prasad Upadhyay and Dilli Raman Regmi took part in India's Independence Movement, he noted.

Indian independence movement has not only helped in freeing the country from the grip of colonial power, but it has also inspired other countries of the region in their bid to attain independence and establish democracy, he said.

India's Ambassador for Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri said the Nepalese leaders had contributed to India's independence movement in the past.

Indian leaders such as Jay Prakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohiya had taken refuge in Hanumannagar of Nepal which shows the scale and closeness of bilateral ties, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to Janakpur and Muktinath had led to a rise in the arrivals of Indian tourists there, ambassador Puri said.