India and Nepal Reaffirm Bilateral Partnership During Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s Visit

 

India and Nepal have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations following Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s two-day official visit to Kathmandu.

Misri visited Nepal on November 4 and 5 at the invitation of Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. The visit included high-level meetings and discussions on areas of mutual interest.

During the visit, Misri called on Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed greetings from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The discussions focused on the progress of bilateral cooperation and possible initiatives ahead of Prime Minister Shah’s upcoming visit to India.

Misri also met Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, and Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal.

The two foreign secretaries held delegation-level talks on November 4, reviewing ongoing cooperation across various sectors and discussing ways to further strengthen the partnership.

The discussions covered areas including trade and commerce, development cooperation, hydropower, physical connectivity, border management, energy and people-to-people relations.

Both sides also noted opportunities for collaboration in emerging areas such as start-ups, digital connectivity, artificial intelligence and sports.

Nepal’s leadership expressed gratitude for India’s humanitarian and technical assistance following the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi floods. India had provided relief materials and support in response to the disaster.

Misri also interacted with members of Nepal’s Parliament, including representatives of the Nepal-India Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Tourism.

The visit continued the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two neighbouring countries.

India and Nepal share longstanding historical, cultural and economic relations. Cooperation between the countries includes energy, trade, connectivity, infrastructure and development projects.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening their bilateral partnership.