May 1, 2012
Nepal has offered to provide training to Indian Army personnel, who are up for deployment in United Nations peacekeeping missions in different countries. The proposal was put forward during the ninth Nepal-India Bilateral Consultative Group on security issues, which concluded in Pokhara on Saturday.
Deepak Dhital, Joint-secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal, and Akhilesh Mishra, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, India, led the discussions during the three-day meeting. The 18-member Nepali talks team included officials from the ministries of Home, Defence and Foreign Affairs. Western Regional police office chief DIG Rajendrasingh Bhandari and other security high-level officials were also present at today’s meeting.
This is the first time that Nepal has offered training slots to the Indian Army, officials in the Foreign Ministry said.
India is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts. But the Nepalese Army also has a long history of association with the UN peacekeeping force: It maintains two training centers exclusively for peacekeepers - in Pachkal and at Saljhandi.
Additionally, India and Nepal have agreed to step up cooperation between their security forces by undertaking joint training exercises. India also agreed to favorably consider Nepal's request to provide instructors and teachers for advanced courses including basic science courses and for attachment of Nepalese trainees and trainers at its various institutions.
Besides the joint exercises, the Consultative Group discussed matters relating to mutual interests in security issues, including the fake Indian currency racket, bilateral cooperation on trainings, disaster response, and information sharing to curb cross-border crimes.
At the end of the conference, India reiterated its commitment to continue its support for the up-gradation and modernization of Nepalese security forces by making available the required technical and physical support in accordance with the needs and priorities listed by the Government of Nepal.
The next meeting of the Nepal-India Bilateral Consultative Group is slated be held in February 2013 in India.
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