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NEW DELHI: how Nepal He responded with alarm and anger to India by building a Link Road to Lipulekh, which was opened by Rajnath Singh, India said the road “lies entirely within the territory of India. The road follows the pre-existing route used by the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims. Under the present project, the same road has been made flexible for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals and merchants, “MEA said in a statement Saturday night.
In a heavily worded statement on Saturday, the Nepalese government asked India to “refrain from carrying out any activity within the territory of Nepal.” According to Nepalese media reports, Nepal’s foreign secretary, Shankar Das Bairagi, complained to the Indian ambassador, Vinay Kwatra, while the foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali he told reporters on Kathmandu he would respond. India said it would schedule foreign affairs secretary talks with Nepal after the COVID emergency ended.
“This unilateral act goes against the understanding reached between the two countries, including at the level of the prime ministers, that a solution to border problems would be sought through negotiation,” said a statement from the Nepalese Foreign Ministry. . This is the second time that Nepal protests, the first in November, when India’s political map reflects a change that shows Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura within Indian territory.
Nepal said that according to the Sugauli Treaty of 1816, “all the territories east of the Kali (Mahakali) river, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh, belong to Nepal. This was reiterated by the Government of Nepal several times in the past and most recently through a diplomatic note addressed to the Government of India dated November 20, 2019 in response to the new political map issued by the latter. ”
The road opened by Rajnath Singh connects the Indian security post on the Indochina border in the Vyans valley of the Pithoragarh district with the rest of the country via a 75.54 km road from Ghatibagar in Dharchula to Lipulekh, near the border with China.
MEA, which responded to Nepal’s statement late at night, tried to calm intense feelings in Nepal. “India and Nepal have established a mechanism to deal with all border issues. The boundary delimitation exercise with Nepal is ongoing. India is committed to solving outstanding border issues through diplomatic dialogue and in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations with Nepal. ”
The statement said that Nepal had protested both India and China in 2015 when both countries decided to use the Lipulekh Pass “as a bilateral trade route without Nepal’s consent in the Joint Declaration issued on May 15, 2015 during the official visit of the Prime Minister of India to China. ”
Lipulekh is seen by India as a triple union between India, Nepal and China. Lying in the extreme northwest of Nepal, the country of the Himalayas, although it has not accepted it as such and claims the southern end of the pass. India has been very cautious about keeping triple junction points unprotected or unclaimed after the Doklam crisis with China in 2017.
Controversy has erupted at a time when the political turmoil in Kathmandu is still boiling despite a joint effort by the Chinese ambassador, with the intention of keeping the Communists together and KP Sharma Oli in power. The tensions and pressures of dealing with the Covid pandemic also weighs heavily on the Oli government.
This development could also become a pressure point for the Oli government. This government entered a nationalist platform, but despite saying that Nepal would insist on taking a seat in discussions about the crossing, Kathmandu has done little on the ground. Nepalese officials have reportedly surveyed the India-Nepal part of the triple union, but there has been no movement since then.
The Nepal Foreign Ministry statement said Nepal was ready to receive the report by the Group of Eminent Persons (EPG) on India-Nepal relations and “believes it will be in the interest of the two countries to implement its recommendations that will also help to address pending issues left by history. ”
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