Kathmandu, Jul 7 (PTI) Nepal and India can resolve their border issues and other matters through diplomatic initiatives and dialogues, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Tuesday.
Speaking in the Upper House of Parliament, Khanal said that the meeting of the border working committee will be held next month.
“Nepal and India are neighbouring countries and there is no doubt that we have border issues,” he said.
Nepal and India have had an old boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, with both countries claiming the areas. India maintains that the territories are part of Uttarakhand and has said the issue should be addressed through bilateral dialogue.
“In fact, we are in a state of conflict due to these claims and counter-claims,” Khanal said while responding to questions raised by lawmakers.
“However, despite these differences, I want to reiterate here that we believe these border issues and other matters, including those relating to Susta, can be resolved through diplomatic initiatives and dialogues on the basis of historical facts, documents and maps,” Khanal said.
“The existing mechanisms of the two countries are working towards resolving the issues related to the border,” he said.
“We want to resolve the border-related issues through these mechanisms,” he said.
Earlier this month, Khanal said Nepal is always ready to resolve the border issue with India through diplomatic dialogue on the basis of the historical agreement and map.
Responding to questions raised by lawmakers, Khanal also said the Foreign Ministry has already made public its detailed views in connection with comments by Prime Minister Balendra Shah during his address in the Parliament in May.
Prime Minister Shah’s statement on May 31 that Nepal also encroached Indian territories at different places and that the Himalayan nation has involved China and the UK to resolve the issue had sparked controversy.
New Delhi categorically rejected any role for third parties to resolve the row. The statement also invited criticism from Nepal’s opposition parties.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry later clarified the matter in a statement that the prime minister was speaking about cross-border occupation by people from both sides of the border. PTI SBP GSP ZH GSP
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