E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, NOV 11 -  

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to visit Nepal in the near future. Singh accepted the invitation extended by his Nepali counterpart Baburam Bhattarai during a meeting between the two on Friday morning on the sidelines of the 17th Saarc Summit in Addu city of Maldives.

In the meeting held at Sangrila Resort, both the PMs agreed to expedite homework to materialise the visit at the earliest. The two also discussed Nepal's recent efforts on concluding the peace and constitution drafting processes.

"The PM briefed Singh on the recently signed seven-point deal, assuring him that all imperative tasks related to the peace process would be completed by November 30," a statement posted on Bhattarai's official website said.

The two PMs also agreed to sign the Double Taxation Agreement. Singh told Bhattarai that Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Nepal at the earliest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement in Kathmandu.

The Cabinet has endorsed the revised version of the DTA and it now needs to be okayed by the Indian Cabinet. 

A tentative date for Singh's visit may become clear after Mukherjee's visit.

 “In the meeting, the two prime ministers expressed satisfaction with the bilateral relations between the two countries. They reviewed the recent visit to India by the prime minister of Nepal and underlined the importance of an early follow-up of issues highlighted in the joint statement,” the statement said.

Singh congratulated Bhattarai and Nepal's political parties for the landmark seven-point agreement and "extended good wishes that the rehabilitation and integration of the Maoist Army Combatants and conclusion of the peace process will pave way for the Constituent Assembly to be able to deliver a democratic constitution."

“The prime minister of India expressed support of his government to the progress made towards the conclusion of the peace process in Nepal,” the MoFA statement said.

Bhattarai stressed on the need to hold meetings of bilateral mechanisms and expedite work of different projects undertaken. The two PMs also discussed matters relating to Saarc and possibilities of expanding economic development and prosperity in the South Asian region.

Posted on: 2011-11-11 11:43

Post Your Comment

Please note that all the fields marked * are mandatory.
* Full Name
* Address
* Email Address
* Comment
* Captcha	Get another CAPTCHA code
Note:	Comments containing abusive words or slander shall not be published.