Nepal and India have a special and long-lasting relationship, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli told Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Narwane when the duo had a courtesy meeting on Friday. The current problems between the two countries will be resolved through dialogue, the Prime Minister of Nepal expressed hope.
“The prime minister said that there was a tradition of conferring honorary Maharathi status on the army chiefs of the two countries. During the meeting, the prime minister expressed his confidence that the problems between the two countries will be resolved through dialogue, ”Rajan Bhattarai, foreign policy advisor to KP Sharma Oli, tweeted.
General Naravane, who is on a three-day visit to Kathmandu, received the honorary rank of General of the Nepalese Army on Thursday from the President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari. He was honored in a ceremony at the official residence of President Shital Niwas in Kathmandu. General Naravane also received a sword and scroll during the performance.
Also read: General Naravane will call Prime Minister Oli today as Nepal seeks to revitalize ties with India
On Friday, the meeting between Naravane and Oli, who is also Nepal’s defense minister, took place at his official residence in Baluwatar, Nepalese Army sources said.
The visit aims to reestablish bilateral ties that were under severe strain after a bitter border dispute earlier this year. In May, Nepal drew up a new political map stating that various areas of Uttarakhand were part of its territory. Nepal had protested after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated on May 8 a strategically crucial 80-kilometer-long highway connecting the Lipulekh pass to Dharchula in Uttarakhand.
After Nepal released the map, India reacted strongly, calling it a “unilateral act” and warning Kathmandu that such an “artificial expansion” of land claims would not be acceptable to it.
(With contributions from the agency)
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