Kathmandu: India has said that Nepal is its priority partner in its ‘neighborhood first policy.’ India said so in a press statement issued by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the meeting between Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Sunday. “Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First Policy,” said the statement. “This meeting continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our Neighbourhood First policy.”
According to MEA, Oli and Modi reviewed the unique and close bilateral relationship between India and Nepal, and expressed satisfaction at the progress made in diverse sectors including development partnership, hydropower cooperation, people-to-people ties, and enhancing connectivity—physical, digital and in the domain of energy. Indian Prime Minister also congratulated Nepal on becoming the 101st country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a full member, and underlined the importance of a regional response to the challenge of climate change.
Prime Minister Oli mentioned in his social media post that “during the meeting, various matters of bilateral relations were discussed.” As of this writing, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued any official statement regarding PM Oli’s talking point with Indian PM in New York.
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