Kathmandu, February 18

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today said he was visiting India with a clear message of friendship and co-existence, and also looking forward to the same from the Indian side.

“The main objective of my visit is to bring bilateral ties back on track and further strengthen it,” Oli told the media about his six-day state visit to India starting tomorrow.

He said his state visit was in itself a welcome statement of India regarding Nepal’s new constitution.

“How can we say India has not acknowledged the constitution when it has invited a prime minister elected on the basis of the same statue for a state-visit?” Oli said.

Saying both Nepal and India have given special importance to his visit, he said Nepal has huge expectations of ensuring “friendly relationship and behaviour” from India.

With this visit, we would also like to assure India our friendship and investment in security, he added.

During his visit, Oli will hold talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House on Saturday and also call on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-president Hamid Ansari.

Noting that most of the misunderstandings that had surfaced between Nepal and India recently had cleared, the prime minister, however, made it clear that such behaviour from the Indian side was not fair.

“Whatever misunderstanding there was, it was not necessary to react in that way,” he said, referring to India’s unofficial blockade following the promulgation of the constitution in September 2015.

He also mentioned the government’s efforts to address the issue of redrawing boundaries of federal states through a political mechanism. But he made it clear that Nepali stakeholders were capable of resolving the issuenternally.

In one reference, PM Oli said he was not playing the card of one neighbour against another.

“We don’t play one card against another,” he said, implying Nepal’s relationis with India and China. “Neither do I have faith in cards, nor am I a gambler.”

He said he would not do anything against national interest in terms of national security, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity during his visit.

“We are not going to do anything controversial that will have long term implications,” he said. He also added he was not leaving for India with a long shopping list.

Asked why he was skipping controversial and overdue issues of bilateral concerns during this visit, he said. “This was not the right time to take up pending issues or issues of lasting implications.”

Refuting the allegation that this was an agenda-less visit, he said, “A visit without formal agenda is itself a heavily loaded agenda.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa, however, skipped the PM’s press briefing, without any reason. Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi had invited DPM Thapa to attend the PM’s press briefing; however the latter said he was “busy” for quite some time.

Sources termed it as a difference between Oli and Thapa as the former ignored the latter’s suggestion that he shorten his visit and not to take up any issue other than strengthening bilateral relations.