Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said they refuse to look at India through the distorted, hypersensitive lens of 20th-century geopolitics.
Instead, he said, the Rastriya Swatantra Party wants to shift the entire vocabulary of Nepal-India relations away from geopolitical friction and square it firmly on development and diplomacy.
"We look at India with an open heart, clear eyes, and a single transparent agenda: the economic transformation of Nepal," said the Nepalese Foreign Minister in New Delhi on Sunday.
He had "productive" bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Dr S. Jaishankar on June 6.
The Nepalese Foreign Minister said when they look across the border, they see a rising India, an India that has fundamentally and beautifully redefined itself on the global stage as a dynamic, fast-growing tech and economic powerhouse.
"We want to engage with this India of intense aspiration, cutting-edge technology, and relentless execution. In turn, we bring the energy of aspiring Nepal," he said.
The Nepalese Foreign Minister said their primary responsibility is to close the gap between old promises made on paper and the physical reality delivered on the ground, transitioning away from abstract political statements to deliver measurable, life-changing results.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal undertook an official visit to India starting 5th June 2026 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.
This was the first visit at the level of Foreign Minister between the two countries since the new government assumed office in Nepal in March 2026.
Nepal is a priority partner of India under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the visit reinforced the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two close and friendly neighbours.
It provided an opportunity to exchange views on enhancing the bilateral partnership to fulfill the aspirations of peoples from both countries, and has imparted fresh vigour to our efforts towards this objective.
The two Ministers reviewed the full spectrum of India-Nepal bilateral relations covering development cooperation, connectivity, trade and transit, energy, and people-to-people ties, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
They also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
The Ministers expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors and welcomed the recent initiatives to enhance co-operation in areas of innovation and startups; digital and financial technology; and training and capacity building.
They agreed to intensify efforts towards further enhancing the multifaceted India-Nepal partnership to take it to new heights.
Both Ministers welcomed the completion of internal processes for entry into force of the India-Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters (MLAA).
This agreement will benefit the people of India and Nepal by providing an institutional legal framework to enhance the effectiveness of investigation, prosecution and judicial proceedings relating to cross-border crimes.
Following the bilateral talks:
(i)External Affairs Minister of India handed over to Foreign Minister of Nepal, 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage sector projects, completed under India’s post-2015 ‘Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance’ to Nepal.
(ii)The Ministers jointly launched the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) linkage between Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and National Payments Interface (NPI) of Nepal for facilitating cross-border personal remittances between India and Nepal.
(iii)The Ministers witnessed the signing of MoU between Digital India Bhashini and Kathmandu University for co-creating National Digital Infrastructure for “Voice First” Language Translation platform;
The discussions were held in a warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the unique and special ties between the two countries.
During the visit, Foreign Minister Khanal also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.