Motor rally helped India-Nepal relations: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) The first India-Nepal friendship motor rally has "significantly contributed in strengthening the friendship" and the "already existing cultural ties" between the two countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

The motor rally -- aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and spreading the message of road safety -- concluded here after travelling through Konark, Dhauli, Bhubaneswar, Baripada, Rairangpur, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Bakhtiyarpur, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Forbesganj, Jogbani, Biratnagar, Dharan, Bardibas, Dhulikhel, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini and Dhangadhi.

Speaking at the reception organised on the occasion, Sushma Swaraj said "the people-to-people contact is the main pillar of relations between the two countries".

She congratulated the organisers for successfully spreading the message of road safety through the rally and underlined the fact that only Indian-made cars participated in the rally.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, who was also present, said India has always shared friendly ties with Nepal, and this rally very strongly expressed the concern of the people of both countries for safer roads.

The rally, which was flagged off at Puri in Odisha on February 27, had 24 teams and about 90 participants from India and Nepal. They covered a distance of 3,060 km during the 10-day event.