Nepal territory ‘won’t be used against India’
PRIME MINISTER OLI SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS SENSITIVE TO NEIGHBOUR’S INTERESTS
Nepal is sensitive to India’s interests and would not allow its territory to be used against India, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Briefing reporters at the end of Modi’s two-day visit to Nepal, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said yesterday it was a “significant statement” from Oli and India was “satisfied” with discussions.
“Oli reiterated that Nepal would be sensitive to India’s interests and its territory would not be used against India,” Gokhale said.
Nepal shares a border of over 1,850km in the east, south and west with five Indian states — Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
There has been a long tradition of free movement of people across the borders sharing family ties and culture. Travellers from both sides do not need visas.
During a joint press meet on Friday after a one-onone meeting with Oli, Modi had said the open borders between India and Nepal play an important role in the strong bilateral ties.
“We will not allow its misuse by anti-social elements,” Modi said after the marathon delegation-level talks, during which the two sides had extensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.
“We have agreed to further strengthen our joint efforts on defence and security to control cross-border crimes that have been taking place by misusing our open-borders that are quite important for people on both the sides,” he said.
Porous border
Indo-Nepal border is open, porous and thickly populated. The movement of people across the border is governed by the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950, which provides for the free movement of citizens of both the countries across the border. During her meeting with Modi, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari said high-level visits strengthen people-to-people contact.
Gokhale said Nepalese leaders, who called on Modi, expressed confidence that his visit to cultural places like Janakpur and Muktinath would enhance tourism.