Nepal ready to resolve border disputes with India diplomatically, says Foreign Minister Khanal

Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Wednesday said the government was ready to resolve border disputes with India through diplomatic means.

Responding to MPs' queries in the parliament, Khanal said mechanisms for such dialogue with India had already been put in place.

This is at least the third time Khanal has clarified the government's position on border disputes with India after Prime Minister Balen Shah stirred a row by calling for the inclusion of the United Kingdom in any dialogue between Nepal and India. India flatly rejected any third-party involvement.

On the previous two occasions last month, Khanal also said Nepal would resolve border disputes bilaterally through dialogue. In a statement before MPs on June 10, he said the Nepal-India Joint Working Group (JWG) on Border Management would look into the matter and was scheduled to meet in August.

In Wednesday's statement, Khanal also said the government was always ready to resolve border disputes through diplomatic dialogue on the basis of historical agreements and maps, while abiding by the spirit and sentiments of the close relationship between Nepal and India, according to PTI.

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Khanal further said any infrastructure work along the border was being carried out after consultations.

"Any work being carried out in and around the international border is being done through coordination between the two sides. So far as the construction of 132 metre embankment in the Susta area (in southern Nepal) is concerned, the works have moved forward only after forging coordination between the officials of the two countries. Bodies concerned of both the countries are in close contact with each other and doing necessary works," Khanal said.

During a visit to India last month that was apparently aimed at damage control, Khanal had said all disputes would be resolved through “existing bilateral mechanisms based on evidence and facts”, not through any third-party mediation.

Khanal's June 5-7 visit came immediately after Rabi Lamichhane, chief of Nepal's ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), visited India and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The two visits came at a sensitive time in India-Nepal ties, as Balen had revived the border dispute and sought to internationalise the issue. He had also adopted a policy of not meeting government officials below the level of a head of government or head of state, and refused to meet Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.