No clash or competition between Nepal and India: Acharya

There is no competition or clash of interest between Nepal and India and the bilateral relations need to be harmonised in accordance with the changing time and geo-political realities, the Nepalese ambassador designate to New Delhi has said.

Ambassador Nilamber Acharya while speaking at a programme organised here to felicitate him said Nepal and India are close neighbours and the relations between the two countries are centuries old.

"In such a close relationship it is natural to have some differences, which need to be sorted out through open dialogue between officials of the two countries," said Acharya.

He said there was no anti-India sentiment among the people of Nepal as reported in some sections of the media.

"The Nepalese people want to see their southern neighbour progress and move forward. There is no competition or clash of interest between Nepal and India as there is only place for cooperation and collaboration between them," he pointed out.

Acharya said the relations between the two countries cannot move forward just by maintaining it at official level without keeping peoples of the two countries in focus.

The relations "need to be harmonised in accordance with the changing time and situation as well as geo-political realities," said the seasoned politician at an interaction programme organised by Nepal India Friendship Society.

The ambassadors of both the countries should work towards promoting the interest and welfare of the people of the two countries, Acharya, a former law minister, said.

A peaceful and sovereign Nepal is always in the interest of India, said Acharya, adding there is no tilt in Nepal's policy towards any country.

"Although diplomatic relations between the two neighbours are 70 year old, there has been people-to-people relations between them since ages," Acharya said.

Nepal's international relations are growing and its relations with India are growing even in a faster pace, he pointed out.

Nepal's growing international cooperation cannot go against India, he said.

His comments came amid China's foray into the land-locked Himalayan nation where Beijing has been investing heavily for the last few years to enhance connectivity and infrastructure.

There are immense possibilities of cooperation between the two countries which are yet to be utilised fully, he remarked.

Foreign policy experts, diplomats, intellectuals, former bureaucrats and journalists who spoke on the occasion underlined the need for more interaction, increased cooperation, collaboration and promoting trade and cultural relations between the two countries besides strengthening the existing diplomatic ties.