Kathmandu: Referring to border issues, the Nepal government said that there will be no problem to resolve matters with India, sources said on Saturday.
“Sometimes, some issues are unresolved. We should not keep in mind and not speak. We can discuss openly including border issues. We are developing friendly ties. There will be no problem to resolve issues with India,” Nepal government sources told ANI.
This comes a day after Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali said he is optimistic that the lingering territorial issues will be resolved by the two countries through the “diplomatic process”.
Speaking to ANI, Gyawali said that New Delhi and Kathmandu are preparing a mechanism to resolve the issue.
Nepal had raised objections over the inclusion of Limpiyadhura, Lipulek, and Kalapani areas under India’s territory in a fresh map released by the Centre following the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories.
India, on its part, said that the map accurately depicts its sovereign territory and that it did not revise its boundary with Nepal in any manner.
The valley of Kalapani, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash Manasarovar, an ancient pilgrimage site. The territory is also the traditional trading route to Tibet for the Bhotiyas of Uttarakhand.
After India closed the Lipulekh Pass in the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, much of the Bhotiya trade used to pass through the Tinkar Pass. The Nepalese protests regarding the Kalapani territory started in 1997 after India and China agreed to reopen the Lipulekh Pass.