Nepal Foreign Affairs (KATHMANDU, Jun 20, 2016) – Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has denied that India has bad relations with its neighbours, including Nepal.
She didn’t give any indication that Nepal-India relations has been further worsen due to call off the Ambassador Dip Kumar Upadhaya and postpone the visit of President Bidha Devi Bhandari.
Responding to questions from journalists at an annual press conference in the Indian capital city, New Delhi, on Sunday, Swaraj said that the neighbourhood policy was still a top priority of the Modi government.
The Indian foreign minister reiterated that Nepal and India share a historical, cultural and geographical ties, and that bilateral exchanges and visits have strengthened the relations between the two countries.
”There were some misunderstanding with Nepal but these were cleared during PM Oli’s maiden visit to India” She said, ”I am saying this, Prime Minister Oli is saying this”.
Minister Swaraj was echoing the same voice that Nepal’s Prime Minister Oli has been constantly making after the state visit of India. She was also said that India was the first county to reach Nepal immediately after the April 25th Earthquake to support Nepal.
Prime Minister Oli had visited India in March. Similarly, Swaraj visited Nepal the same month to attend a ministerial-level meeting of the Saarc. She had met several Nepali politicians then.
The relationship between Nepal and India had reached a low point after India imposed an unannounced border blockade on Nepal after Nepal adopted its new constitution in September 2015.