Kathmandu, January 25

Former ministers and experts have stressed the need to strengthen the age-old Nepal-India relations.

At a programme organised on the eve of Republic Day of India, Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghuveer Mahaseth said the Nepal-India relations were based on panchasheel. “India has been providing support to Nepal in transportation, agriculture, energy and physical infrastructure, among other sectors. “Both the countries have the most cordial of relations,” he said.

Nepali Congress central committee member Ram Sharan Mahat recalled that many Nepali leaders had lent support to India’s independence movement while India had helped overthrow the Rana regime in Nepal. Mahat said India should open its market for Nepali goods and facilitate their export.

Former minister Prakash Chandra Lohani said Nepal should take benefit with India rising as the economic power of the world. “Both countries should move ahead by demonstrating sensitivity to each others’ problems,” he added.

Coordinator of Eminent Persons Group from the Nepali side Bhekh Bahadur Thapa drew the attention of the governments of both countries to implement the report prepared by the EPG.

“The report includes the agreement on reviewing treaties reached between Nepal and India,” he shared.

Rastriya Janata Party Nepal leader Anil Jha said the EPG report could not be accepted as it did not address the problems faced by the people living in the areas along the Nepal-India border. He also said that EPG did not have any representative from the people living in the border areas, so it needed to be reviewed.

Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri expressed his commitment to take the  people-to people ties between two countries to a new height.