India expressed its readiness on Thursday to facilitate the rerouting of vehicles carrying medicines.

In a press briefing, spokesman at India’s Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said New Delhi was ready to facilitate airlifting of essential medicines to Nepal.

“Like the rerouting of POL [Petroleum, Oil and Lubri-cants] trucks earlier, we have already conveyed to the government of Nepal that we are ready to facilitate rerouting of vehicles carrying medicines,” he claimed.

Swarup was responding to a question on India’s refusal to pay heed to Nepali authorities’ request to reroute vehicles stuck at the border.

Reiterating that the current trouble in supplies was due to protests at the border on the Nepal side, Swarup said Nepali importers of medicines were also advised to use the border points where there are no disturbances. He reiterated India’s stance that issues facing Nepal are political in nature and the political leadership has to resolve them through dialogue with the agitating parties.