India and Nepal agree to deepen bilateral cooperation

India’s foreign minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met Nepal’s foreign minister Shishir Khanal in New Delhi on 6 June. The two sides pledged to broaden their partnership, covering trade, cross‑border connectivity, energy, water resources, sports and cultural exchanges. They confirmed implementation of the 2023 MoU on P2P cross‑border payments and announced new projects under India’s development assistance, including reconstruction of 72 health and 12 cultural facilities in Nepal after recent earthquakes. A joint MoU was signed to create a voice‑first language‑translation platform involving the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and the Digital India‑Bilingual division. Both ministers highlighted opportunities in startups, artificial intelligence, information technology and renewable energy, and reaffirmed India’s commitment to provide uninterrupted fuel supplies to Nepal. The discussions also touched on regional and multilateral issues, with Nepal’s foreign minister scheduled to return to Kathmandu shortly after the talks.