KATHMANDU: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he had had a productive discussion with Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on multiple aspects of the India-Nepal friendship.

“Had a productive discussion with PM@SherBDeuba on multiple aspects of the India-Nepal friendship. Subjects relating to fighting the global pandemic and furthering sustainable development are key parts of our bilateral friendship,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

PM Modi also said that they discussed subjects relating to fighting the global pandemic and furthering sustainable development are key parts of our bilateral friendship.

Prime Minister Modi met with PM Deuba for the first time after Deuba became the Prime Minister of Nepal in July and had a “productive discussion” on ways to further strengthen the close bilateral ties and combat climate change, Covid-19 and facilitate post-pandemic recovery.

The meeting between Modi and Deuba, on the sidelines of the UN conference on climate change in Glasgow, took place after the former launched the Initiative for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) for developing the infrastructure of small island nations.

They also discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in the context of ongoing efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

“The two leaders noted the excellent cooperation between India and Nepal during the pandemic, particularly through the supply of vaccines, medicines and medical equipment from India to Nepal as well as by ensuring the free flow of goods across the borders,” it said.