New Delhi: India and Nepal have discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation ahead of the Nepal prime minister, Balendra Shah, upcoming visit to New Delhi. The foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, was in Kathmandu on Wednesday and Thursday for talks with Nepal’s political leadership and senior officials at the invitation of his counterpart, Amrit Bahadur Rai.
In a joint statement, Nepal’s leadership expressed gratitude for India’s “swift and substantial humanitarian and technical assistance” following the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi floods. Both sides also reviewed cooperation in trade, development partnership, hydropower, physical connectivity, border management, energy and people-to-people ties.
The two nations also agreed on some new sectors that could be focused upon for cooperation, which included startups, digital connectivity, artificial intelligence, and sports.
During the visit, Misri called on the Nepali prime minister, Balendra Shah, and conveyed greetings from the prime minister, Narendra Modi. In a post on X, the Indian embassy in Nepal said the discussion focused on “the implementation of various bilateral initiatives, and possibilities for further enhancement of India-Nepal cooperation across domains, especially in the context of forthcoming high-level visit.”
Misri also met Nepal’s finance minister, Swarnim Wagle; foreign minister, Shisir Khanal; energy water resources and irrigation minister, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha; and infrastructure development minister, Sunil Lamsal.
On Wednesday, Misri held delegation-level talks with Amrit Bahadur Rai. The two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation across various sectors and discussed ways to further strengthen their mutually beneficial partnership.
Misri also interacted with Nepalese parliamentarians, including members of the Nepal-India Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Tourism.
Dates for Shah’s visit to India are yet to be officially announced. During its last media briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs said that diplomats from both countries were working to finalize the schedule and that the dates would be announced at an appropriate time.
Misri’s visit comes at a time when India and Nepal are preparing for the next high-level engagement with discussions expected to cover existing bilateral commitments and new areas of cooperation.