Nepal rejects 3rd-party mediation in border dispute with India
What's the story
Nepal has firmly rejected the idea of third-party mediation in its ongoing border dispute with India. The country's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal clarified that Prime Minister Balendra Shah was only looking for historical records from the United Kingdom, not mediation. "The PM would want to solve our disputes through diplomatic processes. Clearly, it would require historical evidence," Khanal said, adding they were seeking access to documents possibly stored in UK libraries or museums.
Diplomatic visit
No boundary too complex for India, Nepal to resolve: Khanal
Khanal's visit to India is historic as he is the first Nepalese minister to visit from the new Balendra Shah government. He emphasized that no issue was too big or boundary too complex for India and Nepal to resolve together with an open heart, a rational mind, and mutual respect.
Economic agenda
Nepal doesn't want to see India through 'distorted' lens
Khanal also spoke about Nepal's vision for its relationship with India. He said Kathmandu doesn't want to see India through the "distorted, hypersensitive lens of 20th-century geopolitics." Instead, it wants to focus on economic transformation. "When we look across the border, we see a rising India ...that has fundamentally and beautifully redefined itself on the global stage as a dynamic, fast-growing, tech, and economic powerhouse," he said.