If India can solve border issues with Bangladesh, then why not with us, asks Nepal's Foreign Minister

By ANI | Published: January 24, 2020 10:17 PM2020-01-24T22:17:15+5:302020-01-27T13:09:25+5:30

Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on Friday said that if India can resolve the boundary dispute with Bangladesh, then why not with his country.

If India can solve border issues with Bangladesh, then why not with us, asks Nepal's Foreign Minister | If India can solve border issues with Bangladesh, then why not with us, asks Nepal's Foreign Minister

If India can solve border issues with Bangladesh, then why not with us, asks Nepal's Foreign Minister

Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on Friday said that if India can resolve the boundary dispute with Bangladesh, then why not with his country.

"If India can solve the land and border issues with the other country (Bangladesh), why not with Nepal," he said while addressing a press conference here.

The Foreign Minister said Nepal's current territory was demarcated, based on the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 and other complementary treaties.

He said Nepal wants to settle this "unresolved, pending issue according to the letter and spirit of the Sagauli Treaty."

The Foreign Minister said: "I do believe that both the countries have strong political stability. Leaders are visionary. They have good personal contact as well, and a commitment to resolve the pending issues. We can resolve it through the diplomatic process."

Last year, Nepal had raised objections after India's Home Ministry released a political map, which showed Kalap territory within Indian borders.

The territory is a disputed area between India and Nepal. It is under Indian administration as part of Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand.

The valley of Kalap, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash Manasarovar, an ancient pilgrimage site.

The territory is also the traditional trading route to Tibet for the Bhotiyas of Uttarakhand.

After India closed the Lipulekh Pass in the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, much of the Bhotiya trade used to pass through the Tinkar Pass. The Nepalese protests regarding the Kalap territory started in 1997 after India and China agreed to reopen the Lipulekh Pass.

In November last year, the MEA had said that the new political map released after bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir accurately depicts its sovereign territory and did not revise its boundary with Nepal in any manner.

( With inputs from ANI )

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