Kathmandu: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday for a two-day official visit.
India’s Ambassador to Nepal Sudhakar Dalela and senior officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed him at the airport.
Nepal and India simultaneously announced on Monday that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri would visit Kathmandu on November 4-5, a visit expected to lay the groundwork for Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s upcoming trip to India.
Separate statements issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said that Misri will hold bilateral talks with Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai during his two-day official visit.
“The two sides will review the full range of Nepal-India relations and exchange views on matters of mutual interest, with a view to further strengthening the long-standing, close and friendly ties between the two countries,” Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Misri is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on senior Nepali dignitaries, the ministry said.
India’s MEA said the visit would cover bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual interest.
“India and Nepal share strong and friendly ties which have seen substantial progress across diverse areas of cooperation. Foreign Secretary’s upcoming visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will help further enhance the comprehensive bilateral partnership,” the MEA mentioned in the statement.
During the visit, the two sides are expected to discuss the potential agenda for Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s upcoming trip to New Delhi. Nepali officials said Nepal aimed to make Shah’s visit meaningful by securing tangible progress on several issues on which it was seeking India’s cooperation.
“Nepal will seek a substantial assistance package from India in the wake of the devastation caused by the August 26 floods. Nepal also wants notable progress on issues including the settlement of the border dispute, revision of the trade treaty and additional air entry points for international flights via India, among others,” a Nepali Foreign Ministry official said.
The two sides are also expected to inaugurate several projects involving bilateral cooperation during Prime Minister Shah’s proposed visit.
–IANS–
