FS Misri travels to Kathmandu this week as Nepal and India set stage for Balendra Shah's New Delhi visit

Kathmandu: Nepal and India on Monday simultaneously announced that Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri would visit Kathmandu on November 4-5, a visit expected to lay the groundwork for Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s upcoming trip to India.

Prime Minister Shah is expected to visit New Delhi later this month, according to officials at the Prime Minister’s Office and Nepal’s Foreign Ministry.

Separate statements issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said that Misri will hold bilateral talks with Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai during his two-day official visit.

“The two sides will review the full range of Nepal-India relations and exchange views on matters of mutual interest, with a view to further strengthening the long-standing, close and friendly ties between the two countries,” Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Misri is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on senior Nepali dignitaries, the ministry said.

India’s MEA said the visit would cover bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual interest. "India and Nepal share strong and friendly ties which have seen substantial progress across diverse areas of cooperation," it said “The Foreign Secretary’s upcoming visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will help further enhance the comprehensive bilateral partnership.”

During the visit, the two sides are expected to discuss the potential agenda for Prime Minister Shah’s upcoming trip to New Delhi. Nepali officials said Nepal aimed to make Shah’s visit meaningful by securing tangible progress on several issues on which it was seeking India's cooperation.

“Nepal will seek a substantial assistance package from India in the wake of the devastation caused by the August 26 floods. Nepal also wants notable progress on issues including the settlement of the border dispute, revision of the trade treaty and additional air entry points for international flights via India, among others,” a Nepali Foreign Ministry official said.

The two sides are also expected to inaugurate several projects involving bilateral cooperation during Prime Minister Shah’s proposed visit.

New Delhi had initially planned to send Misri to Kathmandu in the second week of May to engage with the new government after the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) formed a government under Shah’s leadership. However, the proposed visit was postponed, with protocol issues cited as a reason.

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