In light of the recent successful visit of Indian Foreign Secretary to Nepal, Asian Confluence and AIDIA plans to jointly host a webinar on exploring new areas which will drive the India-Nepal relationship in the coming years. The aim is to find new avenues of Indo-Nepal engagements and the way forward and to identify the major bottlenecks or issues and the ways to resolve them. The focus will be on people to people relations, connectivity and prosperity at our shared borders.

Background:

People-to-people linkages and the shared culture are the bedrock of IndiaNepal relations. This has been reiterated multiple times by Prime Minister Modi and his government’s policies has focused on strengthening its relations with Nepal by keeping culture, spirituality and people at the core of its policies. In his last six years, Prime Minister visited Nepal four times and during his visits he went to numerous religious places. Prime Minister Modi in his last visit to Nepal said, “India’s relations with Nepal are familial and friendly, which stand on the strong foundations of mutual and deep relationships between its people, which are much above the relationship between the two governments.”

The bilateral ties have grown under the current regime, although it has also seen some trough moments but the overall relationship has strengthened. Both the countries have been regularly interacting with each other.

During his latest visit Foreign Secretary of India highlighted the culture heritage by addressing Nepalese media in Nepali and also started  AIDIA distinguished lecture in Nepali. He also inaugurated the Tashop (Tare) Gompa monastery which has been renovated through Indian assistance. He also promised that India will make sure that the COVID-19 vaccines reaches to the people when available in the market.

All these engagements between New Delhi and Kathmandu and the Indian assistance projects indicate that strengthening of people ties, cultural and civilisational ties will form the core of India-Nepal relationship in the coming years. With health and hospital gaining importance in the post-COVID era, health diplomacy will also become core area of engagement between the two countries.

The aim of the webinar is to have discussion and explore:

1. The new areas which will drive the India-Nepal relationship in the coming years.

2. To find new avenues of Indo-Nepal engagements and the way forward.

3. What are the major bottlenecks or issues and the ways to resolve them?

For participation please register here