LONDON — India and Bangladesh have reportedly agreed in principle to swap each other's enclaves that are spread along the border areas and re-demarcate 6.1 kilometers of boundary — in effect resolving an issue that has bedeviled Indo-Bangladesh ties since independence.

This is an historic move that could transform New Delhi's relations with Dhaka perhaps forever. In recent months, India has made some significant overtures in its immediate neighborhood.

The Indian government has appointed, Shyam Saran, a former foreign secretary, as a special envoy to Nepal in an effort to end the political logjam in the Himalayan kingdom over the election of a new prime minister. The political parties in Nepal have not been able to reconcile their differences and, as a result, the writing of a constitution and the larger peace process remain in the doldrums. India has finally realized that it cannot remain nonchalant about the political drift in Kathmandu.