India, China and Nepal meet on sidelines of BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit

BENAULIM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday met on the sidelines of the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa, marking the first such trilateral meeting between leaders of the three countries.

The three leaders discussed issues of common interests during the 20-minute meeting, according to Prakash Dahal, son of the Nepalese PM. During the talks, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also k n o w n a s Prachanda, recalled how he had emphasized on the need of a strategic understanding between Nepal, India and China during his earlier term as the prime minister of Nepal, people aware of development said.

“Nepal lies in between two giant neighbours—India and China. We wish to reap benefits of this geographical speciality by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries,” Prachanda is understood to have said at Sunday’s meeting.

Modi and Xi are learnt to have welcomed the proposal.

Prachanda also said Nepal wants to establish balanced, friendly and strategic relationships with both the neighbours for itself to reach its development goal.