Kathmandu: Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba will be on a four-day India visit starting Sunday at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
“As part of regular exchange of high-level visits between Nepal and India, this visit will further consolidate the age-old, deep and multifaceted bilateral relations,” Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday.
During the visit, Deuba will hold discussions with EAM Jaishankar on matters of mutual interest for further strengthening Nepal-India relations and promoting cooperation, the ministry mentioned.
“Nepal is a priority partner of India in its Neighbourhood First policy. The forthcoming visit will provide both sides an opportunity to discuss and review the progress in bilateral cooperation and help in advancing our ties further,” commented the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri paid a two-day visit to Kathmandu at the invitation of the Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Sewa Lamsal.
During his August 11-12 visit, Misri held wide-ranging discussions with Lamsal and reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects besides discussing opportunities for further collaboration.
Misri also called on Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, briefing them on the progress being made in various aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
“During the various engagements, both sides affirmed the close and friendly relations between India and Nepal which are deeply rooted in historical, cultural, civilizational and people-to-people ties. Both sides noted with satisfaction the substantial progress achieved in the recent years in bilateral cooperation, especially in the various areas of connectivity – physical, digital, energy as well as people-to-people, which is manifested in the steady implementation of infrastructure projects related to roads, bridges, Integrated Check Posts, cross-border railways as well as petroleum pipelines,” the MEA stated on August 12.
Both sides have also appreciated the progress made in the mutually beneficial partnership in the field of power sector cooperation, which has seen substantial progress in recent years.
“In this context, it was noted with satisfaction that the manifold increase in Nepal’s hydropower export to India in the last 2-3 years has created an additional source of revenue for Nepal and of clean energy for India. The role of power sector cooperation in Nepal’s graduation from LDC status in 2026 was also highlighted,” the MEA statement detailed.
Nepal remains a priority partner of India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
(IANS)
