Kathmandu, June 14

Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri said Nepal and India shared unique partnership and friendship and there was ample scope for harnessing opportunities.

Addressing an interaction organised by Nepal-India Friendship Society on ‘what Nepal expects from India and what India expects from Nepal’ here today, Ambassador Puri said Nepal should ease rules  to attract Foreign Direct Investment.

He said road and railway connectivity would accrue benefits to the people of both countries, and therefore, both countries needed to address issues related to connectivity.

Ambassador Puri said India suffered from terrorism for last three decades and tackling terrorism was a matter of much concern to India. He said India and Nepal needed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Once the integrated check posts are built on the southern border, that would make trade easy, he argued. Since India and Nepal share open border with strong ties at peoples’ level, it is natural and abiding interests in both the countries to try to know what is happening in each other’s country, the ambassador said.

Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, member of Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group said discussions of the EPG were moving in the right direction.

Nepali Congress leader Nabindra Raj Joshi said India could help Nepal create jobs for youths.

NC leader Narayan Prasad Saud said Nepal and India could use water resources for mutual benefit.

Former diplomat Dinesh Bhattarai said trust appeared to be missing in Nepal-India relations and this needed to be restored.

CPN-UML lawmaker Lalbabu Yadav said the peace and friendship treaty of 1950 was not an obstacle to development, but both countries needed to move ahead in a new way.

Prof Lok Raj Baral said perceptional change was necessary both in Nepal and India to further enhance relations between the two countries.

Former Ambassador of Nepal to Denmark Vijay Kant Karna said anti-India and anti-Madhesi attitude in Nepal was adversely impacting Nepal-India relations.