PM Modi said India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepal in its development journey
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the final day of his two-day visit to Kathmandu, said India is ready to play the role of a 'Sherpa' to help Nepal scale the mountain of success.
"You have reached the base camp of the Mt Everest and the main climb is yet to be done. And the way mountaineers are strongly helped by Sherpas to scale the summit, much the same way India is ready to work as the Sherpa for Nepal," PM Modi said, amid applause. He was speaking at a public felicitation programme organized by the Mayor of Kathmandu.
The prime minister also commended Nepal for its journey from bullets to ballots. "Nepal has covered a long journey from
Yuddh to Buddh (War to Peace). You have left the bullet to opt the ballot way... But this not the destination. You have to go a long way," PM Modi said.
Highlighting the deep rooted ties between India and Nepal, PM Modi said that the Himalayan nation was a top priority for India's Neighbourhood First Policy. He also complimented Nepal for its commitment towards democracy and success.
PM Modi said India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepal in its development journey. 'S
abka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is as much about global well-being as it's about India's growth, he added.
India and Nepal today also agreed to boost trade and economic links, connectivity via air, land and water, people-to-people ties. A joint statement, issued a day after PM Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli held extensive bilateral discussions, said the two leaders agreed to maintain the momentum generated by PM Oli's visit to India in April, his first foreign visit after assuming office in February, by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.
The joint statement assumes significance as there was a chill in India-Nepal ties during Mr Oli's earlier stint as Prime Minister between October 2015 and August 2016 when a border blockade blamed on New Delhi crippled Nepal's economy. There were also perceptions that PM Oli was leaning towards China than India.
With inputs from agencies