The 2nd meeting of the Eminent Persons Group Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR) was held in the IDSA premises in New Delhi on October 4-5, 2016. The Co-chairs of the Indian and Nepali delegation of the EPG are Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, M.P., and Amb. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, formerly Nepal’s Foreign Minister.
The interactions were productive, and conducted in a cooperative spirit and forward looking manner. The EPG members recognised that the multifaceted relationship between the two countries runs deep. Their quest is to make it deeper and wider.
There were three presentations during the meeting involving Nepal’s perception of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, transit arrangements between India and Nepal, and social and cultural aspects of India-Nepal ties. The members engaged in their first discussion on reviewing the 1950 Treaty in order to update and revise it in accord with the needs of the twenty first century.
They agreed on the need to preserve the mutuality of their interests, and strengthen the people to people ties. In this context, they considered several proposals to reduce customs formalities, transit time for merchandise, and logistics costs through improvements in administrative procedures and connectivity. They also discussed measures to reinforce mutual learning and build institutional mechanisms to promote understanding and interactions through a range of social and cultural activities.
Second Eminent Persons Group Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR)