Kathmandu, October 16
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitees to the BRICS Summit in Goa, has proposed that Kathmandu, New Delhi and Beijing work towards building a ‘trilateral strategic partnership’.
According to sources close to the Prime Minister, Dahal arranged a tripartite meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, and presented the proposal to Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping over an informal discussion. Prachanda, who met Xi earlier in the day, was to hold bilateral talks with Modi on Sunday morning. A meeting between the heads of government of the three countries was not on the itinerary, a source told Onlinekhabar.
Prachanda has claimed to his aides that the meeting will prove to be a milestone in Nepal’s history, and he has sent a clear message to both the neighbours that Nepal wants to have equidistant relations with its immediate neighbours. Prachanda further claimed that this forms the basis for a trilateral strategic cooperation.
According to sources, Prachanda and Xi held one-on-one talks for 20 minutes before Modi joined in the conversation.
Prachanda said after the meeting that both the heads of government agreed that Nepal’s proposal was important. The Prime Minister told his aides that Xi said Nepal’s geographical size did not matter, and it could play the role of a bridge between India and China.
Modi held that Nepal, China and India are friends based on geography, sentiment and culture, and India was positive towards Prachanda’s proposal.
