India and Nepal set to take ties to new heights, Kathmandu calls New Delhi its most trusted partner

Following the meeting, Jaishankar virtually handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects completed under India’s post-2015 earthquake reconstruction assistance to Nepal.

Published: June 7, 2026, 7:46 AM IST

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, in New Delhi

New Delhi: In a significant development, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday said India and Nepal share a “special” relationship and there is an opportunity to “decisively” shift the engagement to realise its full potential. The statement came after Jaishankar met his Nepalese counterpart Shishir Khanal. Khanal kicked off a three-day trip to New Delhi on Friday to strengthen bilateral ties, a visit overshadowed by a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s recent remarks on the boundary row between the two sides.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two ministers vowed to take the bilateral ties to “new heights” while reviewing the full spectrum of the relations, covering development cooperation, connectivity, trade and transit, energy, and people-to-people ties. The Nepalese foreign minister also held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Delving into various aspects of the bilateral ties, the external affairs minister reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “sentiment regarding India’s commitment to working with Nepal for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries.”

In his comments at the meeting, Khanal said Nepal accords “highest priority” to its relationship with India and the Shah-led government is ready to engage “substantively and purposefully” with New Delhi. “We carry no old baggage and have only firm resolve for a genuinely transformative relationship with our close neighbour and the most important partner,” he said.

Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “Roti Beti” relationship. “The discussions were held in a warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the unique and special ties between the two countries,” the MEA said.

Here are some of the key details:

• Following the meeting, Jaishankar virtually handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects completed under India’s post-2015 earthquake reconstruction assistance to Nepal.
• The two ministers jointly launched the linkage between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal’s National Payments Interface (NPI) to facilitate personal remittances between the two countries.
• Jaishankar and Khanal welcomed the completion of internal processes for the entry into force of the India-Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in criminal matters (MLAA).
• The agreement will benefit the people of India and Nepal by providing an institutional legal framework to enhance the effectiveness of investigation, prosecution and judicial proceedings relating to cross-border crimes.
• The two ministers expressed “satisfaction” over the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors
• They also welcomed recent initiatives to enhance cooperation in areas of innovation, startups, digital and financial technology and capacity building.

The MEA said the ministers agreed to intensify efforts towards further enhancing the multifaceted India-Nepal partnership to take it to “new heights” and exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.