India, Nepal review bilateral ties, launch cross-border UPI remittance link
New Delhi, June 7. India and Nepal have agreed to further deepen their multifaceted partnership, with a focus on connectivity, trade, energy, digital cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, during the first high-level foreign ministerial engagement between the two countries since the formation of Nepal’s new government earlier this year.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, paid an official visit to India from June 5 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The two ministers held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on June 6, reviewing the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanging views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
The discussions covered development cooperation, connectivity projects, trade and transit, energy collaboration and people-to-people ties. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved across various sectors and welcomed recent initiatives aimed at expanding cooperation in innovation, startups, digital and financial technologies, as well as training and capacity-building programmes.
The ministers agreed to intensify efforts to further strengthen the India-Nepal partnership and elevate bilateral cooperation to new levels.
A key outcome of the talks was the announcement that both countries had completed their internal procedures for bringing into force the India-Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters (MLAA). The agreement is expected to provide an institutional framework for cooperation in investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings related to cross-border crimes.
Following the talks, India formally handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects completed under its post-2015 earthquake reconstruction assistance programme in Nepal. The projects form part of India’s long-standing support for Nepal’s recovery and reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck the Himalayan nation in 2015.
In a significant step towards enhancing digital connectivity, the two ministers jointly launched a peer-to-peer linkage between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal’s National Payments Interface (NPI), enabling seamless cross-border personal remittances between the two countries.
The ministers also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Bhashini and Kathmandu University for the co-development of a national digital infrastructure platform focused on voice-first language translation technologies.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the discussions were held in a warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the unique and enduring ties between the two neighbouring countries.
During his visit, Khanal also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and held discussions on issues of mutual interest.
The visit marked the first foreign minister-level engagement between India and Nepal since the new government assumed office in Nepal in March 2026. India described Nepal as a priority partner under its Neighbourhood First Policy and said the visit reinforced the tradition of regular high-level exchanges while injecting fresh momentum into efforts to advance bilateral cooperation and meet the aspirations of the people of both countries.
