Nepal–India talks boost digital, development ties

KATHMANDU: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has completed his first official visit to India since the formation of the current government, holding high-level talks in New Delhi at the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

During the delegation-level meeting, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, focusing on development cooperation, expansion of connectivity, trade and transit, energy collaboration, and strengthening people-to-people ties.

The two ministers expressed satisfaction over ongoing cooperation and welcomed emerging partnerships in innovation, startups, digital technology, and financial services.

They agreed to further strengthen the multi-dimensional Nepal–India partnership and elevate it to a new level through sustained engagement.

A key milestone during the visit was the progress on the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement, which both sides welcomed for enhancing institutional cooperation in cross-border crime investigation, prosecution, and judicial support.

In a significant development, India formally handed over completed post-earthquake reconstruction projects, including 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage sites built under its 2015 reconstruction assistance program.

The visit also saw the launch of a cross-border digital payment linkage between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal’s National Payments Interface (NPI), enabling seamless peer-to-peer transactions.

Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was signed between India’s Digital India “Bhashini” platform and Kathmandu University to develop a national digital language infrastructure and voice-first translation systems.

Minister Khanal also held separate meetings with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s foreign affairs department.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to regular high-level exchanges and strengthening the long-standing tradition of close bilateral engagement.

The visit is seen as adding new momentum to Nepal–India relations across strategic, economic, and digital cooperation sectors.