KATHMANDU: On the occasion of the Republic Day of India, President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli have sent separate messages of felicitations to President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respectively.

In her message, President Bhandari has extended best wishes for personal health and happiness of the President of India as well as for the peace and prosperity of the people of India.

The President has also expressed confidence that the age-old and multidimensional relations between Nepal and India would be further strengthened in the days to come, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here today.

Likewise, in his message to Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Oli has expressed his best wishes for the continued peace, progress and prosperity of the people of India. The Prime Minister has also stated that Nepal and India enjoy deep and diverse relations marked by friendship, equality, cooperation and mutual respect.

The Prime Minister admired India’s spectacular progress in various fields of science, technology, medicine and economic development. In the message, the Prime Minister has also expressed gratitude to the Government of India for providing one million COVISHIELD vaccines to Nepal as grant as a gesture of good neighbourly relations, adds the release.