9 Aug : Review of the 1950 Indo-Nepal friendship treaty, discussing ways to prevent cross-border terrorist and criminal activities and boosting trade ties will top the agenda in her maiden official visit to India from Monday, Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala said.
Issues of alleged border encroachment and cooperation on hydropower sector will also figure during her talks with top Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Mamohan Singh and her counterpart S M Krishna, she said.
“The focus of the visit will be on enhancing trade relations and increasing Indian investment,” the minister, who will leave on Monday for New Delhi on a five-day visit, said.
She said that Nepal will continue to pursue its foreign policy based on “economic diplomacy” and try to get maximum benefit from emerging economies like India and China.
“India has played a vital role in Nepal’s economic development and we hope to increase India’s participation in our development endeavours,” 54-year-old Koirala, the daughter of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, said.
The review of the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 will also figure during the talks, she said adding, India also wants to have a relook into the 59-year-old pact.
The Maoists have long demanding the review of the treaty which relates to various aspects of the bilateral ties.
The issue of alleged border encroachment by India will also be taken up as the matter surfaced during the session of Nepalese Parliament, Koirala said. “We should settle these issues as these will give a chance to those fomenting anti-India activities,” she said.
The minister said issues pertaining to cross-border criminal activities, flood problems and implementing past agreements on hydro-electricity projects will also come up.
“We will discuss about criminal activities and terrorist activities being carried out by different armed groups in the open border as we need India’s help for maintaining peace in southern Nepal,” she said.
The rising criminal and terrorist activities along the border is an issue of mutual interest, she pointed out adding that “it is also India’s interest to control such criminal activities on the open border.”
“We are facing a big problem of security as we move forward in the peace process. India’s support and cooperation will be crucial in improving security in the border and for the success of the peace process,” she said.
To a question, she said there is no plan to sign an extradition treaty with India during the visit.
Turning to economic and trade ties, she said Nepal will ask India “to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers so that we can reduce the increasing trade deficit and uplift our economy as we are passing through a political transition.”
At present, the trade deficit stands at USD 13.82 million.
Nepal will not sign any controversial deal with India: PM
Nepalese PM Madhav Kumar Nepal has assured the Parliament that his government will not sign any controversial agreement with India without taking them into confidence during his maiden “goodwill visit” to the neighbouring country.
Prime Minister Nepal, who is scheduled to visit India on 18th August on his first official tour after assuming office,
told the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Human Rights that he would not sign any deal with New Delhi that would give rise to disagreement among political parties in Kathmandu.
Responding to questions raised by members in the Parliamentary Committee, the prime minister asked them not to harbour any suspicion about his “goodwill visit” to India.
No new treaty on water resources will be signed during his five-day visit to India without reaching political consensus at home, parliamentary sources quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
He said his priority would be to get the agreements already reached between the two countries implemented on time-bound basis rather than signing new ones.
“No bilateral agreement signed during my India visit will create disagreement among parties,” premier Nepal said in response to a question raised by Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
The Prime Minister said that issues related to water resources, Nepal-India Friendship Treaty of 1950, bilateral trade and Indian investment in Nepal will be on his agenda during his India visit.
“The Prime Minister will start his India visit on August 18, first after assuming power,” PM’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Rajan Bhattarai had earlier said.
This will be his goodwill visit to India, he said adding the details of the visit is being worked out.