Nepal is “always ready” to resolve its border issue with India through diplomatic dialogue, the Himalayan nation’s foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, said on Wednesday.
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“The government is always ready to resolve the border issue (with India) through diplomatic dialogue on the basis of the historical agreement and map, abiding by the spirit and sentiments of close relations existing between the two countries,” Khanal told lawmakers in the Upper House (National Assembly).
He further stated that the foreign ministry had already made public the government's detailed position on Prime Minister Balendra Shah's remarks regarding the border dispute with India.
Shah's statement on May 31 that Nepal had also "encroached" on Indian territory at various places and that Kathmandu had involved China and the UK to help resolve the issue sparked controversy.
New Delhi categorically rejected any role for third parties in resolving the dispute. The remarks also drew criticism from Nepal's opposition parties.
Khanal also addressed the border issue at Susta, noting “Mechanisms have already been set up and are actively working at various border areas of Nepal and India.”
“Any work being carried out in and around the international border is being done through coordination between the two sides,” he clarified.
“With regard to the construction of the 132-metre embankment in the Susta area (in southern Nepal), the work has moved forward only after coordination between officials of the two countries,” the minister pointed out.
“The concerned authorities of both countries are in close contact with each other and carrying out the necessary work,” he added.
Nepal and India have a longstanding boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani, with both countries claiming the territories. India maintains that these areas are part of Uttarakhand and has said the issue should be addressed through bilateral dialogue.
(With PTI inputs)
