Senior officials from Nepal and India reopened formal lines of communication on Monday, months after boundary-related issues strained ties.

A discussion on the status of India-funded projects in Nepal between the two sides via video conferencing on Monday marked the first major bilateral dialogue between the two neighbours after Kathmandu released a new political map of Nepal incorporating some territories administered by India.

The resumption of formal talks between the two countries bodes well for bilateral ties, but it’s not sufficient to normalise relations or to resolve the boundary row that has persisted for decades, former foreign ministers and diplomats told the Post.

“The meeting is a positive step towards ending the deadlock, but this is not enough. It will take some more time—even months and years—to settle difficult issues such as that of the boundary,” said former ambassador to India, Lokraj Baral. “India and China are talking even in the midst of heightened tensions, so why should Nepal and India not talk ? A single issue can’t put the entire ties in a bind,” said Baral.

Relations between the two countries hit a low after Nepal published a new political map placing Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura within its borders in response to India's announcement of a road link via Lipulekh to Kailash Mansarovar in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Both Kathmandu and Delhi expressed willingness to hold dialogue on the issue, but that had not materialised.

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