Diplomacy For Development

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane, returned home Friday after completing a five-day visit to India at the invitation of Nitin Nabin, president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Talking to media persons at the Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival, Lamichhane said development diplomacy was the main thrust of the visit. On June 2, a day after he landed in New Delhi, Hindustan Times published an article by him that stressed the need for rising India and aspirational Nepal to collaborate for shared prosperity. The article highlighted civilisational bonds between the two countries and spoke of the need to develop digital corridors and seamless connectivity for mutual benefit.  

In Delhi, Lamichhane was offered a warm welcome by the BJP and the government alike; he met with Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to news reports in this daily, in his meeting with PM Modi, Lamichhane underscored the need to strengthen relations between the two countries and work together toward a shared, prosperous future. He said Nepal and India need to transcend the constraints of the past and enter a new era in which politics complements economic objectives. In response, PM Modi expressed full support for Lamichhane’s vision to work closely for a shared and prosperous future. He acknowledged Nepal as a priority partner under India’s Neighbourhood First policy and affirmed that India looked forward to working with Nepal’s new government to strengthen the special and multifaceted relations between the two countries. The high-level talks are expected to reset the ties between the two close neighbours.

Responding to journalists, Lamichhane also noted that transparency was another highlight of his visit to India. In the past, high-level meetings used to be held behind closed doors and what was discussed was often held back from the public. This time that was far from the case; Foreign Ministry officials accompanied Lamichhane in all meetings, so nothing was hidden. There was no situation of one thing happening inside the meeting hall and something else transmitted outside. This shift will surely have a long-term positive impact on the foreign relations of the country. He said the delegation returned home hoping that all the sensitive issues between the two countries would be resolved through dialogue and understanding. The RSP is a young political party that has emerged as a strong force in Nepali politics with nearly two-thirds majority in the parliament, while the BJP enjoys a similar mandate in India. So the two governments with wide public support have the capacity to turn the relations around for the benefits of both peoples.  

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, currently on a three-day official visit to India, held bilateral talks on trade, investment, connectivity, energy and people-to-people ties with his counterpart, S. Jaishankar. Nepal holds a huge potential in hydropower, while India is in need of energy to meet its growing demands. The two countries have identified several projects for development, but they have remained stalled for a long time due to various reasons. The two sides need to push them ahead as soon as possible. The proposed rail link between Raxual and Kathmandu can make a big difference in the transportation of people and goods; so can flights from Pokhara and Lumbini to various Indian cities. And the two countries can set up industries on and across the border for the benefit of consumers on both sides. Let’s hope the back-to-back visits of Lamichhane and Minister Khanal will reset the ties in the true sense and expedite development works for the shared prosperity of the two countries.