Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and said that the Nepal PM has played an important role in developing the relations between two countries. Calling Deuba “an old friend of India”, PM Modi said that the relation between the people of the two countries can’t be seen anywhere in the world.
“Deuba ji is an old friend of India. As the PM, this is his fifth visit to India. He has played an important role in developing India-Nepal relations. The friendship between India and Nepal, relation between our people – such an example can’t be seen anywhere else in the world,” PM Modi said.
Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in New Delhi on Friday on a three-day visit that is expected to inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties.
“We discussed various aspects of our cooperation, reviewed the progress of various projects and also discussed the blueprint of the future. Both of us agree that we must reap the benefits of the opportunities for cooperation in the power sector,” Modi added.
Meanwhile, Sher Bahadur Deuba lauded India’s management of Covid-19 and said Nepal received first vaccine aid from New Delhi.
“I admire the progress that India is making under the visionary leadership of PM Modi. We’ve seen India’s effective management battling Covid-19 and received first vaccine aid from India as well as medicines, medical equipment and logistics to combat Covid,” Deuba said.
“As PM Modi mentioned, we had friendly talks and fruitful discussions on various aspects of India-Nepal relations. We shared our perspectives on further strengthening our friendly ties,” the Nepal PM added.
The two Prime Ministers met at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Saturday. Sher Bahadur Deuba also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla yesterday.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also expected to call on the visiting leader.
“PM Narendra Modi welcomes PM Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepal for bilateral engagements. A renewed opportunity to deepen the special ties of friendship and cooperation between our two countries,” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs said in a tweet.
“Leaders to review the progress in our partnership and discuss ways to further the India-Nepal cooperation agenda,” Bagchi said in another tweet.
Delegation level talks led by PM @narendramodi and PM @SherBDeuba of Nepal begin. Leaders to review the progress in our partnership and discuss ways to further the India-Nepal cooperation agenda. pic.twitter.com/HHdJusTQcV
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 2, 2022
On the first day of his visit, Deuba reached BJP headquarters and met the party’s national president JP Nadda. The Nepalese PM also paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the capital. Deuba will also visit Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which is PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency.
It is Deuba’s first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister in July last year for a fifth time following a spell of political turmoil in Kathmandu. Deuba had visited India in each of his four earlier stints as prime minister of Nepal. His last visit to India in his capacity as the prime minister was in 2017.
“A fond welcome to a special friend. PM of Nepal @SherBDeuba arrives in India for an official visit from 01-03 April 2022. This is his first bilateral visit abroad after assuming office in July 2021,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “Roti Beti” relationship.
The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states — Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.
Nepal’s access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries.
“The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review this wide-ranging cooperative partnership and to progress it further for the benefit of the two peoples,” the MEA said on Monday. Besides official engagements in New Delhi, the prime minister of Nepal will visit Varanasi.
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