India hosts RSP chief, rejects third-party role in Nepal border dispute

New Delhi: Even as India rolled out the red carpet for Nepal's ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane, New Delhi on Tuesday firmly rejected any role for third parties in resolving its boundary dispute with Kathmandu.

The response came after Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah recently suggested that China and the UK could help address the long-standing border issue, while also acknowledging that Nepal had encroached on some Indian territory.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Nepal already have established bilateral mechanisms to address all boundary-related matters and noted that nearly 98% of the border has been demarcated.


"We have established bilateral mechanisms to deal with all aspects of boundary matters. It should be clear to all concerned that there is no role for any third parties in a bilateral matter between India and Nepal," Jaiswal said.

The remarks came as RSP president Rabi Lamichhane, on a five-day visit to India, met BJP national president Nitin Nabin in New Delhi. The delegation was welcomed at the BJP headquarters.

According to BJP foreign affairs department head Vijay Chauthaiwale, Nabin highlighted the close civilisational, cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Nepal and briefed the delegation on the BJP's ideology, organisational structure and grassroots outreach model.