The governments of India and Nepal, last week, had organised the eight Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings last week. The discussions of the meetings: included reviewing of the bilateral development projects, oil and gas projects that are undertaken at the present and those which can be undertaken in future. 

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"The Joint Working Group was incepted in the year 2017, to make the ties between Indian Oil Corporation Limited(IOCL) and Nepal Oil Corporation(NOC) stronger. The first meeting of the same was held in January this year," said a press release from the Indian Embassy of Kathmandu. 

What were the agendas of the two meetings?

The virtual level meeting had been organized on August 21. 

"The meeting aimed to discuss the implementation of various projects under bilateral cooperation between the two countries," said a press release by the Ministry of foreign affairs, Government of Nepal. 

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The attendees to the meeting included the Export-Import Bank of India(EXIM), Ministry of External Affairs, Embassy of India in Nepal, and CLPIU Building, Government of Nepal. 

The meeting had been co-chaired by Shankar Das Bairagi, the foreign secretary and Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the Indian ambassador to Kathmandu. 

The second meeting, which had taken place on 13 August, aimed at discussing future areas of cooperation in the petroleum and supplying petroleum products to Nepal. 

BN Reddy, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Prem Kumar Shrestha, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Supplies, Government of Nepal, were the co-chairs to the meeting. 

The other dignitaries to the meeting included Embassy of India in Kathmandu, representatives from India Public Sector Undertakings(PSUs) dealing in oil and gas such as Indian Oil Cooperation Limited(IOCL), Gas Authority of India Limited(GAIL) and Hindustan Petroleum Cooperation Limited(HPCL), Ministry of Finance and Foreign Affairs of Nepal and Nepal Oil Cooperation(NOC). 

"Satisfaction over the functioning to Motihari-Amlekhgunj Petroleum Products Pipeline, that was inaugurated between the two nations in September last year, was expressed during the meeting," said a press release. 

The pipeline, which is the first of its kind in the South Asian region, is the majority supplier of fuel to Nepal from Amlekhgunj Depot of Nepal Oil Corporation(NOC). 

 Both India and Nepal had discussed future areas of cooperation within the sector, including the possibility of supplying petroleum products to the Himalayan country. 

"Both nations encouraged the companies to work in close cooperation with each other and expand their engagement in the sector of petroleum," further added the press release.
 

(With Inputs from ANI)

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