India eager to strengthen ties with Nepal

New Delhi, Aug 19 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said that New Delhi wants to build its relationship with Kathmandu.

Krishna met Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is on a five-day maiden goodwill visit to India, and said that the leaders had discussed the need for furthering economic ties between the two countries.

Krishna said the discussions would continue at the prime ministerial level.

"In the course of my talks with him, a number of issues concerning India and Nepal were discussed. I reiterated India's desire that Nepal has a special relationship with India. We would like to give economic content to that relationship. The Prime Minister has broadly agreed to that proposition. The discussion will continue at the prime ministerial level later," Krishna said.

Krishna also said that New Delhi would help Kathmandu consolidate democratically.

"The Prime Minister seems to be very confident of consolidating politically. I think he is trying to get all the political parties to come together so that a democratic process can be evolved. A constitution can be evolved. On the basis of new constitution, which the Constituent Assembly is going to write. India is supporting in all these initiatives," Krishna added.

On Thursday, Nepal will meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

In the evening, he will address a meeting of intellectuals and academia at the India International Centre.

He will leave for a day-long visit to Mumbai on Friday and will return to Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon. (ANI)