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India said on Saturday that the 80 km highway in Uttarakhand, which connects near the Current Control Line and opens a new route for Kailash Mansarovar yatra through the Lipulekh Pass, is “completely within the territory” of the country. This came after Nepal vigorously opposed the new liaison path that the Defense Minister Rajnath Singh opened on Friday.
Nepal’s foreign ministry said India’s decision to build the road through the territory at the Lipulekh Pass, which Kathmandu claims is part of its territory, is a violation of an agreement between the two countries, PTI reported. .
The link road is expected to assist pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet by significantly reducing travel time. The Lipulekh Pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India. Both countries claim that Kalapani is an integral part of their territory: India as part of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and Nepal as part of the Darchula district.
“The Nepalese government learned with regret of India’s” inauguration “yesterday of the” Link Road “connecting with Lipulekh, which passes through Nepalese territory,” a statement released on Saturday said. “This unilateral act goes against the understanding reached between the two countries, including at the level of prime ministers, that a solution to border problems would be sought through negotiation.”
In its response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the inauguration of the strategically crucial link road is within Indian territory. “The recently opened section of road in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state is entirely within the Indian Territory,” said Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava. “The path follows the pre-existing route used by the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims. Under the present project, the same path has been made flexible for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals and merchants. “
The ministry also said that the boundary delimitation exercise with Nepal is ongoing, adding that “India is committed to solving the outstanding boundary problems through diplomatic dialogue and in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations with Nepal.” .
Both India and Nepal have established a mechanism to deal with all border issues, the ministry said. “Both sides are also in the process of scheduling foreign affairs secretary-level talks that will take place once the dates between the two sides are finalized after the two societies and governments have successfully addressed the challenge of the Covid-19 emergency, “he added.
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