KATHMANDU, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) — Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Thursday that his government will promote trilateral cooperation among China, Nepal and India.
Addressing the nation for the first time at the Parliament after assuming office on August 4, the prime minister said his government is committed to enhancing cooperation in mutually beneficial areas with neighboring countries – China and India.
“My government wants to maintain excellent relations with both of our neighboring countries and work to establish a trilateral cooperation among China, Nepal and India so as to promote peace, prosperity and stability in this region,” Prime Minister Dahal said.
The prime minister’s remarks on trilateral cooperation among China, Nepal and India come just a week before his maiden visit to the southern neighbor India.
Dahal will be on an official visit to India from September 15 to 18 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to the Nepali Prime Minister’s Office.
Addressing the House, the prime minister said that two deputy prime ministers’ recent visits to China and India as special envoys of his government contributed to promoting Nepal’s bilateral ties with the two neighboring countries.
“It was my initiative to strengthen relations with neighbors by dispatching the special envoys to China and India after I became prime minister last month. Obviously, these two visits have received positive outcomes,” Dahal said.
Dahal said the first priority of his government is to implement the new constitution promulgated on September 20 last year.
He vowed to work toward holding parliamentary and other elections by January 2017 as stipulated in the new constitution.
Another major priority of his government is to expedite the post-earthquake reconstruction, the prime minister added.