KOSH RAJ KOIRALA
Dec 06, 2014
Body will recommend ways to improve bilateral relations
KATHMANDU, Dec 6 : A process to form an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) that is mandated to look into the totality of Nepal-India relations and suggest measures to further expand and consolidate the bilateral relations between Nepal and India has gained momentum.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has taken active initiation to form the four-member EPG with the ministry now relieved with the heavy responsibilities it had to host the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu. “The process of forming the EPG was put on hold as the ministry was preoccupied with the SAARC Summit. Now that we have successfully hosted the regional event, the process of forming the EPG has gained momentum,” MoFA Spokesperson Khaganath Adhikari told Republica.
Spokesperson Adhikari said they have already received consent from the Ministry of Finance for necessary budget to set up a secretariat for the EPG. “There has been an agreement to set up an EPG secretariat each in the Nepalese and the Indian capitals. Finance ministry has given its nod to release US$ 100,000 to set up secretariat in our capital,” Adhikari further said.
As per the agreement made during the third Joint Commission (JC) meeting held in Kathmandu on July 25-27, Nepal and India agreed to form EPGs with four members each from Nepal and India and set up secretariats in each other´s capital cities. Each EPG consisting an eminent parliamentarian, a lawyer, an economist and a civil society leader, will hold meetings among its members and with stakeholders in both the countries and come up with recommendations to improve Nepal-India bilateral relations.
The eight-member body [with Nepalese and Indian EPGs combined] will be co-chaired by a member of Nepal and India. The EPG teams from both the countries will travel to each others´ country for necessary consultation and study as and when required. “We have started an internal home work to pick members for the EPG,” said a senior official at MoFA.
Officials at MoFA said Indian side has already communicated to Nepal that it wants to convene the meeting of EPG at the earliest. “We were not in a position to focus on any bilateral issues between Nepal and India due to the SAARC Summit. But we have now expedited all necessary homework to give shape to the EPG,” said a senior official at the ministry.
The agreement between the two countries to form the EPG came in the wake of concerns being raised from various quarters in Nepal that many agreements and treaties that Nepal has signed with India including the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty were ´unequal´. The dispute between Nepal and India over Kalapani and Susta has remained one of the most irritant factors between Nepal-India relations for years.
The EPG in its joint report is also expected to come up with some specific suggestions to settle outstanding border disputes between Nepal and India over Susta and Kalapani and address other concerns that both the countries have on their bilateral interactions. The EPG is expected to give non-government perspectives and recommend ways to improve Nepal-India bilateral relations.
The formation of EPG was first proposed by then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai during his visit to India in October, 2011 to look into the totality of India-Nepal relations and suggest measures to further expand and consolidate the close, multi-faceted relations between the two countries. Then Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire and Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had also held discussion on the EPG when the latter was in Kathmandu in November, 2011.
