The move closely watched by Indo-Nepal communities, resulted in positive outcomes as evident in Oli’s statements after the successful completion of his three-day visit during April 6-8, 2018.

As part of the visit along with his wife and 53-member Nepali delegation, Oli held discussions and special meetings with the Indian dignitaries including President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other key political leaders and personalities.

Significant and Fruitful

“My official visit to India was significant and fruitful. The visit has helped in clearing misunderstanding

and mistrust, and strengthening mutual trust and understanding. The bilateral relations will move forward in a new direction on the basis of equality and mutual interest,” Oli said in a statement after arriving at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu post his India visit, indicating a new era for Indo-Nepal bilateral ties under his government.

We have agreed to expedite past agreements and understandings reached between the two countries, he added.

As part of the visit, both the sides also discussed cooperation across various sectors. Let’s have a glance at some of the key highlights of sector-wise cooperation discussed during Oli’s visit:

In the bilateral meetings, India and Nepal agreed upon few key agreements that have been under discussion for quite some time.

Stating that both the Prime Ministers were satisfied with the bilateral talks, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale informed that the two sides discussed strengthening of cooperation through agriculture, trade, defense, security, along with enhanced connectivity through railway and water ways.

Both the sides have reportedly come to a consensus on taking ahead the construction of Raxaul- Kathmandu railway line and the operation of Nepalese steamers for goods and public movement from Nepal to other countries.

Trade, Security & Inland Waterways

Towards trade cooperation, the two sides decided to develop inland waterways within the trade and transit framework for a seamless movement of cargo between the two countries.

During the discussions, Oli also raised concerns over widening Nepal’s trade deficit with India and urged Indian Government to encourage more Nepali exports.

With regard to security, he said, “We have strong relations when it comes to the aspect of security. We will work together to stop misuse of our open border.”

Green Revolution and Connectivity                                                                                                                  

As part of visit to the Uttarakhand’s GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, where he was awarded the honorary doctorate (Doctor of Science), Oli urged India’s support for revolutionizing agriculture in Nepal.

“Both India and Nepal are agriculture-based economies and should work together in boosting agricultural output,” Oli said in a statement.

On the occasion, Oli also welcomed the University’s collaboration in revolutionizing the Nepali agriculture sector saying, “Looking towards Indian varsities like GB Pant, one of the harbingers of the Green Revolution, who can aid us in achieving our objectives in this regard… I think if the university and Nepal collaborate in the sector, agriculture in our country will get revolutionized through a technological boost.”

He further said India’s and the University’s support are key for strengthening the two agricultural universities in Nepal that are in the initial stages of development with the need for research support.

In response, Uttarakhand Governor K.K. Paul expressed the University’s willingness to collaborate with the Government of Nepal in the fields of horticulture and herbal farming.

Lauding Oli’s visit, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat urged for improved connectivity between Nepal and Uttarakhand, especially in the border areas of Tanakpur and Dharchula.

He also pitched for direct flights between Kathmandu and Dehradun.

Call for Investment

As part of the visit, Oli held a round of discussion with the Indo-Nepal business community, wherein, he urged the Indian business community to invest in Nepal.

Citing Nepal’s investor-friendly environment, Oli pitched for investments across infrastructure, tourism, IT, agriculture and power sectors.

Stating that Nepal has fair and investor-friendly policies along with a supportive policy regime, Oli called on the businessmen for massive foreign investment.

“Indian investors have invested across the globe, so why not go to the next-door Nepal. Geographical proximity, easy access and cultural similarities are all there to make you feel good about Nepal,” noted Oli.

Potential Market & Incentives

Speaking on market opportunities Nepal has for the foreign investors or collaborators, Oli said, “Investors always look for market. Look at Nepal’s position. For us, market is not a problem, but production is a problem. It is lying between two vibrant economic powers with huge population of the world — India and China. That assures you of a promising market of 2.5 billion people. Seize the opportunity.”

Lauding European markets for their duty-free access to Nepal, he said, “We are ready to listen to you, your advises and suggestions. We want to know your views. We are committed to further improving our business climate.”

Wooing foreign investors, he noted that Nepal offers attractive incentives compared to other countries by way of simplified tax regimes and reduced tariffs.

He also informed about Nepal’s plans to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in the cities sharing borders India along with offering necessary incentives to the industries, forming liberal labor laws, among others.

First International Cross-country Pipeline

As part of the visit, Oli and Modi inaugurated the long-awaited initiative of Rs 3.24 billion worth India-Nepal petroleum pipeline from Motihari to Amlekhgunj. This is the first international cross-country pipeline project in India.

Under the project, Indian Oil Corporation will supply Nepal’s major petroleum products from its Barauni Refinery and Raxaul depot in Bihar to Amlekhganj depot of Nepal Oil Corporation.

The 69-km-long pipeline project involves setting up of a 10.75-inch diameter cross-country pipeline that stretches from Motihari in Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal, with 32.7 km of pipeline in the Indian territory and 36.2 km in the Nepali territory.

The design-throughput capacity of this pipeline, which has pumping facilities at Motihari, stands at 2.0 million tons per annum.

This major project signed in 2015 is expected to be completed by March 2019.

The End Note

Overall, Oli’s recent visit to India has opened avenues for new form of bilateral cooperation between Nepal and India contributing to a strong South Asia. Now, it’s time for wait and watch!

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Oli’s New Delhi visit gains significance in the light of a long-awaited political transformation in Nepal following the Communist Alliance’s grand victory in the recently-concluded Nepal general elections.

This visit holds high value for the Indo-Nepal bilateral relations which have been facing little odds in the recent times owing to a misconception that Nepal is moving pro-China.

At this juncture, Oli’s three-day bilateral visit to India is coming as a needed boost to the Indo-Nepal diplomatic ties strengthening the ties to the next level.

Constructive and Development-Focused

In a recently-held parliamentary meeting, Oli informed about his agenda and key priorities to be raised with the Indian side in his upcoming visit.

“We will go unified for the development and the promotion of the nation. We obviously will go forward in the developmental activities and will maintain harmonious relations with our neighboring nations for the purpose of development and prosperity,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

Oli assured of taking up no such activity that fragments the unity or spring up the feeling of disparity developing the relation of mutual benefit and understanding between the two countries and pressed on bringing up piled-up issues in the discussions for early completion.

“Our Southern neighbor is ready to assist in Nepal’s development,” Oli said in a statement, adding that the focus will be more on the pending projects.

“Rather than piling up new agreements and forgetting about them, we’ll focus on how to make tangible progress on past agreements and in areas of cooperation,” said Oli.

Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said, “There is no alternative to excellent bilateral relations between Nepal and India despite some twists & turns in the recent past.”

“Expect a visit that sets the course for the future of ties between India and Nepal. This won’t be about the nitty-gritty of agreements, but about putting the past behind us and presenting big ideas for moving ahead,” said an Indian official.

Matters on Priority

As part of his visit, Oli is expected to hold special discussions with his counterpart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by meetings with businessmen and Nepali diaspora in New Delhi.

“I will discuss the projects that were committed to be reconstructed by India after the devastating earthquake,” Oli said in his address to the Nepali Parliament.

He laid due priority to railway and reconstruction projects, Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) and postal highway completion, among others.

Connectivity is also expected be in the top priority list in the Oli-Modi discussion with special focus on border management, cross-border railways, trade and energy.

Agreements related to agriculture sector, inland water navigation through Koshi River and cargo movement through transit points are also likely to be signed.

Demonetization is another major area that the Nepali PM is keen on discussing about with the Indian side. Towards this end, Oli is most likely to push India to exchange billions of banned demonetized Indian currency notes held in Nepal. Nepal has around Rs 950 crore worth demonetized notes lying with its individuals and informal sectors.

“The Indian demonetization has hurt Nepali nationals. I will raise this in my meetings with Indian leaders and request them to resolve the issue,” Oli said in a statement.

As a Chair for SAARC and BIMSTEC, Nepal is also expected to seek India’s regional and sub-regional cooperation with special emphasis on the upcoming SAARC Summit.

Both the Prime Ministers are set to jointly lay a foundation stone of the 900 MW capacitive Arun III hydro project and will also inaugurate the Integrated Check Post at the Birgunj-Raxaul border built over a seven-year period.

Overall, Oli’s visit is expected to open new ways for strengthening Indo-Nepal cooperation.

“The visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review wide-ranging cooperative partnership and progress it further for the benefit of people of two countries. The entourage of the Prime Minister will comprise Ministers, Members of Parliament, Secretaries and other high-ranking officials of the Government of Nepal,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said in a statement.

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