Warming Up Relations

The recent visit of the Nepalese Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola to India has been termed as ‘successful’ and going by the words of the Foreign Minister himself and other officials at the Nepalese Foreign Ministry there seem little doubt that it indeed was so. A proof of that is the confirmation of the resumption of Indian Airlines flights to Kathmandu by June 1. The Indian Airlines had suspended its flights to Kathmandu immediately after the hijacking of its plane after it took off from Kathmandu. The four-day visit, which concluded on Thursday, was the first high level contact between the two countries since the Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh visited Nepal in September last year. That time Singh’s visit was considered as giving a new meaning to the relations between the two countries in the coming millennium. But several incidents, especially the hijacking and the subsequent suspension of flights by the government-owned Indian Airlines, put a hindrance to this. The suspension of the flights had strained the relations between the two countries to a considerable degree. Then there was the imposition of a four-per cent special addition duty by India on Nepal’s export to that country against the trade agreement between the two countries. However, the Indian Foreign Minister has now assured that he would take up the matter with his government. Again the Indian Foreign Minister also stated that he would direct his government to give continuity Nepal’s access to the sea through Bangladesh by way of Fulbari-Banglabandh route. The agreement to allow Nepal to use the Fulbari corridor of India in linking Nepal with Bangladesh is expiring at the end of this month. The addressing of the issues at hand indicates the visit of the Nepalese Foreign Minister has set a positive course in warming up relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, it has been Nepal’s wish to advance the relations between the two countries to address the new challenges mainly in economic and social sectors. Nepal has also expressed its willingness to give new direction and basis to the relations between the two countries. During his recent visit Foreign Minister Bastola also raised a wide range of issues such as the Mahakali Treaty, Kalapani and other border disputes, the 1950 Treaty, the issue of Nepalese living in India and about the state of Nepalese serving in the Indian army and others. These issues are often been labelled as drags to improve the relations between the two countries based on new grounds and new realities. However, the Indian leaders’ positive responses to these and other issues indicate that both Nepal and India are willing to advance and widen the relations. It may be mentioned that soon there will be talks at the foreign secretary level on reviewing the 1950 Treaty and the water resource secretaries of the two countries will also be talking to seek ways to expand cooperation in the energy sector. Furthermore, the recent visit of the Nepalese Foreign Minister has prepared grounds for the visit of Nepalese Prime Minister to India. This will be the first visit by the Nepalese Prime Minister to India in four years, after former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who visited India in 1996. This will also be the first contact between the heads of state of the two countries in three years after the Indian Prime Minister I. K. Gujral visited Nepal in 1997. With good and positive gestures from both sides during the recent visit of Minister Banstola, it can be ascertained that the forthcoming visit of the Nepalese Prime Minister will further the relations between Nepal and India.