Nepal Reiterates Commitment to Resolving Border Dispute with India Through Diplomatic Dialogue

Nepal on Wednesday said it is ready to resolve the border issue with India through diplomatic dialogue based on historical agreements and maps, with Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal reiterating Kathmandu's commitment to a negotiated settlement. Responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the National Assembly, the Upper House of Parliament, Khanal said Nepal remains prepared to address the boundary dispute through diplomatic engagement. He also said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already made public its detailed position regarding remarks made by Prime Minister Balendra Shah during his address to Parliament in May. The Nepal government is always ready to resolve the border issue (with India) through diplomatic dialogue based on the historical agreement and map abiding by the spirit and sentiments of close relations existing between Nepal and India, Khanal said. 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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs 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. On Wednesday, regarding the border issue of Susta, Khanal said, “Mechanisms have already been set up and actively working at various border areas of Nepal and India.”