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Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has underscored the need to activate dormant bilateral mechanisms to resolve long-standing issues while pushing for a revival of high-level political engagements between the two nations, concluding his three-day official visit to India.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of his visit, Minister Khanal emphasised that while several mechanisms between the two countries have remained inactive, there is a collective willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. He noted that during his meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor, both sides agreed on the importance of utilising existing frameworks to address bilateral concerns. "The boundary issues, these are very long, outstanding issues. So what we proposed is that even on the boundary issues, there are mechanisms that existed between the two countries, but many of these mechanisms have remained dormant," Khanal told ANI. "There is one mechanism actually which is active, and we acknowledge the active work that's being done on the ground. So we wanted to look from a positive perspective... I think the spirit on both sides is that there's no harm in sitting at the table and discussing it." Highlighting the dynamic nature of India-Nepal ties, the minister expressed optimism that the discussions held in Delhi would yield tangible outcomes in the coming months. He identified two primary objectives for his visit: initiating high-level political visits, which had seen a lull over the past two years, and communicating the priorities of the new government under Prime Minister Balendra "Balen" Shah. "I came with two broad objectives. One is to start the highest-level political visits between the two countries. The last visit was almost two years back," Khanal said. "I found our engagement with the NSA, the external affairs minister and his team yesterday very productive and engaging. We've discussed a variety of issues from connectivity, bilateral relationship, to energy and multilateral engagements." The Foreign Minister also emphasised the importance of connectivity, specifically mentioning the eagerly awaited Janakpur-Ayodhya rail link. "We hope to see Janakpur-Ayodhya rail connectivity very soon. That's something we discussed. We are very eager to see that resume from Janakpur and through that to other areas as well," he added. Looking ahead, Khanal expressed confidence that his visit marks the beginning of a renewed period of regular, high-level exchanges. "This is my first visit. I view it as the beginning of such visits. I hope that high-level visits will now commence from both sides. And I believe we can expect these visits to become part of regular exchanges between the two countries," he said. (ANI)
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