India views Nepal as a sovereign nation and the two neighbours have equitable partnership, sharing mutual respect, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) foreign affairs department in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale said. He added that Kathmandu will not find a better friend than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to television news channel WION, Chauthaiwale, while speaking at NIICE Global Conclave’s session–“India-Nepal relations”– said that the political parties and leaders of both countries must initiate a proper dialogue to strengthen relations.

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“In the recent past, the structured dialogues between both the countries have not been functional. The BJP is keen to initiate this dialogue. The exchange of dialogues with Nepali political leaders will be effective,” the news channel quoted Chauthaiwale as saying.

Noting that Nepal had not been given due attention by the UPA government, Chauthaiwale said that Modi was the first Prime Minister to visit the Himalayan country in a gap of two decades.

“I simply wish that anti-India rhetoric by Nepal politicians do not hurt the relationship between two countries. India would like to continue partnering with Nepal by contributing on major projects,” he was quoted as saying by the news organisation.

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He also underlined that India and Nepal have equitable partnership and share mutual respect. “India would like to work with Nepal on three levels: government to government, people to people and cultural relations,” Chauthaiwale said.

Earlier speaking exclusively to India Narrative, Udaya Shumsher Rana, former minister of state for finance and a member of Nepali Congress said that India and Nepal have traditionally shared a close bond despite intermittent “hiccups” which have been created due to miscalculations and misunderstandings by both sides.

“The channel of communication to resolve misgivings must be an ongoing process,” Rana said.

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The Economic Survey in 2018-19 pointed out that India accounts for 64 percent of Nepal’s overall trade volume. A chunk of Nepal’s trade—both imports and exports – are routed through the Haldia and Visakhapatnam ports. However, Nepal may be granted access to the deep water Sittwe port which is being developed by India Myanmar’s northern Rakhine province, The port, at the mouth of the Kaladan river, being developed as part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.