Broadening Cooperation
AS expected, Their Majesties the King and
Queen have received warm welcome from Indian leaders in His Majesty’s first state
visit abroad since assumption of the throne last year. The hearty welcome by Indian
President K.R. Narayanan and Madame Usha Narayanan at a special ceremony Monday at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan and warm words of welcome and friendship accorded to Their Majesties
bespeak of the high regards the Indian leaders and the people hold Nepal and the Nepalese
monarchy. His Majesty the King reciprocated in kind to such sentiments when His Majesty
delivered the reply speech at a state banquet hosted in honour of Their Majesties by
President and Madame Narayanan Monday evening. His Majesty accurately described the
Nepal-India relationship when he told the hosts that the relations between Nepal and India
transcended the confines of customary treaties and diplomatic conventions and that both
our peoples, since time immemorial, have drawn sustenance from the same philosophical
fountain, shared the same cultural heritage and have been bound by the same ethos. The
relationships, His Majesty declared, were more important than rules and thus Nepal-India
engagements had a much greater depth of understanding and broader sweep of vision. Indeed,
the closeness of Nepal-India relationship has also manifested in Indian solidarity and
support to the Nepalese government’s fight against terror—a gesture for which
His Majesty expressed appreciation on behalf of the people and government of Nepal just as
His Majesty also thanked India for the generosity as a valuable partner in Nepal’s
development endeavours, despite her own pre-occupation.
Terrorism has raised its ugly head even further in recent
times and unfortunately South Asia has also been mired in terrorist and disruptive
activities. Nepal too has been afflicted with this menance that is aimed at the vary roots
of democracy. In order to maintain law and order and to protect the lives and liberty of
the people, a state of emergency has been imposed and armed forces deployed. All this has
been necessitated because, as His Majesty said, progress was possible only in an
environment of peace and tranquility. Aside from the cooperation on fighting terror, Nepal
and India could collaborate in a range of sectors, including economic field. His Majesty
rightly pointed to the possibilities of more private sector and people-to-people
initiatives to achieve greater development and harmony for mutual benefits. His Majesty
assured the hosts that His Majesty’s Government was prepared to extend all necessary
assistance to industrialists, businessmen and entrepreneurs from India to invest in Nepal.
It is to be hoped that the future will see more Indians investing in infrastructure and
human resource development in different fields like industry, tourism and hydropower. His
Majesty’s wise words of counsel on how best to further deepen and broaden Nepal-India
cooperation must be heeded by Indian leaders.
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