Sixth meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission held in New Delhi

KATHMANDU: The sixth meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission was held in New Delhi, India on Friday.

Nepal's foreign minister and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, co-chaired the meet as leaders of their respective delegations today.

In a press statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said, both the sides held discussions on reviewing the entire spectrum of bilateral relations that included the important area of COVID-19 vaccination.

"On the occasion, issues related to boundary and border management, connectivity and economic cooperation, trade and transit, power and water resources, culture and education among others were discussed," reads the statement.

It also discussed the review of Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950, submission of the report of the Eminent Persons Group and air entry routes.

The meeting also agreed to expedite the work for 400-KV Butwal-Gorakhpur cross-border transmission line, speed up implementation of ongoing projects including new Integrated Check Posts/Inland Container Depot at Dodhara-Chadani and remaining cross border railways, among others.

On Nepal's request for the Government of India's support in availing COVID-19 vaccines, the Indian side assured that the requirement of Nepal would be in priority consideration after the roll-out of vaccines, as mentioned in the statement.

The Nepali delegation led by foreign minister included Nilamber Acharya, ambassador of Nepal to India, Bharat Raj Paudyal, foreign secretary, Laxman Aryal, secretary at Ministry of Health and Population, and other high ranking officials.

The Nepal-India Joint Commission was established in 1987 with a view to review and further strengthen all aspects of bilateral relations.