Nepal’s newly formed government has reached out to India with what it describes as “an open heart, clear eyes, and a single transparent agenda” – the economic transformation of Nepal.
During his visit to New Delhi, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal Saturday held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, with discussions focusing on trade, cross-border connectivity, energy cooperation, water resource management and people-to-people ties.
Khanal said the new government was determined to pursue a pragmatic and development-oriented relationship with India, placing economic progress above political rhetoric.
“True independence means our shared borders act as highly efficient bridges, not frustrating barriers,” he said. “Rather than engaging in hyper-nationalistic grandstanding, we are pursuing calm, data-driven and evidence-based discussions to resolve challenges in good faith.”
Looking to a rising India
Since assuming office, the new government in Kathmandu has prioritised economic development while seeking to maintain balanced relations with both of its giant neighbours, India and China.
Although bilateral ties with India have occasionally been complicated by disputes over the Kalapani and Lipulekh border regions, Khanal signalled a desire to move beyond longstanding geopolitical tensions.
“We refuse to look at India through the distorted and hypersensitive lens of 20th-century geopolitics,” he said. “The Rastriya Swatantra Party wants to shift the entire vocabulary of Nepal-India relations away from geopolitical friction and firmly towards development and diplomacy.”
Khanal described India as a country that has transformed itself into a major economic and technological power and said Nepal hopes to benefit from closer engagement with that growth story.
“When we look across the border, we see a rising India – an India that has fundamentally redefined itself on the global stage as a dynamic, fast-growing technological and economic powerhouse,” he said.
“We want to engage with this India of intense aspiration, cutting-edge technology and relentless execution. In turn, we bring the energy and ambition of a rising Nepal.”
The foreign minister stressed that the government’s primary objective is to translate bilateral commitments into tangible outcomes for ordinary citizens.
“Our responsibility is to close the gap between promises made on paper and the reality delivered on the ground,” he said. “We want to move beyond abstract political statements and deliver measurable, life-changing results.”
