Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal will pay an official visit to India from June 5 to 7 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in the latest high-level engagement aimed at further strengthening the close bilateral partnership between the two neighbours.
During the visit, Khanal will hold formal talks with Jaishankar in New Delhi, with discussions expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, energy and people-to-people exchanges.
The visit comes amid sustained political engagement between the two countries, and follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Nepal’s ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party’s (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane, during which the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and advancing a shared vision for prosperity.
Modi had described Nepal as a priority partner under India’s Neighbourhood First policy and expressed confidence that the special relationship between the two countries would continue to grow.
Khanal’s visit is also expected to provide an opportunity to review progress on key bilateral initiatives spanning connectivity, infrastructure, energy cooperation and economic integration.
India and Nepal have significantly expanded cooperation in recent years, particularly in cross-border connectivity, power trade, petroleum pipelines, rail links and development partnership projects. The two countries also share deep civilisational, cultural and people-to-people ties that form the bedrock of the relationship.
Officials said the forthcoming talks would allow both sides to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest while identifying new areas of collaboration.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said the visit forms part of the regular exchange of high-level visits between the two countries and is expected to further consolidate the enduring and multifaceted bilateral relationship.
Khanal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on June 7.
