PM reiterates expediting past deals during India visit

Published On: September 8, 2016 02:10 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal has told former ministers for foreign affairs and experts of the field that he wouldn't give priority to signing any new agreement with India during his upcoming visit to the southern neighbor.

He said his priority would be to expedite the past deals reached between the two sides in the past.

The prime minister invited former ministers of foreign affairs from various political parties and experts at his office to gather feedback from them on his visit to India to start from September 15.

“The prime minister said he wouldn't give priority to signing any new agreements with India and that he would emphasize on creating trustworthy environment between the two sides,” said former foreign minister Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

According of CPN-UML lawmaker Rajan Bhattarai, the prime minister said that his visit will basically focus on implementing previous agreements. “We are not expecting new issues and they (India) are also not expecting so,” Bhattarai quoted the prime minister as saying during the meeting.

Lohani said that he advised the prime minister to end the situation of misunderstandings with India which has surfaced since last year and to try to find out the reason behind the five-month-long Indian blockade on Nepal.

“I told the prime minister that we have to talk frankly with India about the blockade,” said Lohani.

Former Foreign Minister Rameshnath Pandey said his suggestions to Dahal were basically on how to improve relationship between the two countries.

“The blockade invited serious accident that that also played vital role in creating misunderstandings between the two sides. So I advised him that this visit should be focused on healing the wounds inflicted by the Indian blockade,” said Pandey.

He also said that he suggested to Dahal to register constitution amendment proposal in parliament before the prime minister leaves for India visit.