Nepal's foreign minister, Shishir Khanal, clarified that the Nepal-India border dispute is a bilateral matter and that the government has not sought any third-party involvement in resolving it with India.
Khanal emphasized that Nepal remains firmly committed to a bilateral approach, stating that the issue is a result of changes in the course of the Gandak River and cross-border encroachment.
He added that the border-related mechanisms and technical teams of Nepal and India are actively working on mapping, maintaining border pillars, and collecting data on encroachment and occupation along the frontier.
The clarification came after Nepal's Prime Minister Balen Shah sparked a political controversy with his statements saying he has sought the participation of China and the United Kingdom to address the long-standing issue.
India's external affairs minister spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that there is no role for any third party in the bilateral matters of India and Nepal.
