Ambassador-at-large Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa and Bhutanese Foreign Minister Khandu Wangchuk Tuesday held a brief telephonic conversation and discussed the refugee issue, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Dr. Thapa and Wangchuk discussed resumption of the implementation process of the bilateral agreement on the Bhutanese refugees reached during the 15th Ministerial Joint Committee (MJC) in Thimpu, the statement said.

The two leaders will continue further consultation on the matter, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, a news report in Nepal Samacharpatra, quoting Dr. Thapa, said Wangchuk, in the telephonic conversation, has asked for “some more time” to resume implementation process of the 15th MJC meeting decisions.

While saying so, the Bhutanese Foreign Minister said he still has to discuss the “latest controversy” seen in the repatriation process and “have more details on it”, the daily said.