On his first visit to Nepal following the formation of a new government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli last month, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday reviewed with the Nepalese leadership the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects and discussed opportunities for further collaboration between the two nations.
An official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs at the end of the two-day visit of Mr Misri to the neighbouring country said the Indian diplomat met his Nepalese counterpart Sewa Lamsal on Monday. Their wide ranging discussions covered various aspects of the multifaceted cooperation between India and Nepal.
Mr Misri called on Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli yesterday. He conveyed to them greetings from the leadership in India and also briefed them on the progress being made in various aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Today, the Indian diplomat also called on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak and Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba. Ways to further strengthen India-Nepal cooperation in a variety of mutually beneficial areas were discussed during these meetings.
”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,” the statement said.
Both sides noted with satisfaction the substantial progress achieved in 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 two sides also appreciated the progress made in the mutually beneficial partnership in the field of power sector cooperation, which has seen substantial progress in the 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 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.
During the visit, Mr Misri and Mr Mani Ram Gelal, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development of Nepal, also jointly inaugurated the ‘Nepal Bhasa Parishad’, a historical residential building associated with eminent Nepali poet, Kavi Kesari Chittadhar ‘Hridaya’ in Raktakali in the heart of Kathmandu’s old town. This is one of the 28 cultural sector reconstruction projects undertaken with Government of India assistance after the devastating 2015 earthquake.
”Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First policy. The Foreign Secretary’s visit continued the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and helped in advancing our bilateral ties further,” the statement added.