Foreign Secretary Misri meets Nepalese counterpart discusses bilateral ties

    Kathmandu, Nov 4 (PTI) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday held talks with his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai on a range of issues of mutual interest, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Balendra Shah's forthcoming visit to India.

    "The bilateral talks covered the entire gamut of Nepal-India relations, including exchange of high-level visits, connectivity, trade, development cooperation, energy and people-to-people relations, underscoring the strong bond between the two countries," the Nepalese foreign ministry said after the meeting.

    The foreign secretary held talks on a range of issues of mutual interest with his Nepalese counterpart, in preparation for the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Shah to India, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said in a post on X.

    Foreign Ministries of both Nepal and India are preparing for Prime Minister Shah's forthcoming visit to India, the sources said.

    This will be Prime Minister Shah's first visit to any neighbouring country after assuming office in March.

    Misri, who is in Nepal on a two-day visit at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Rai, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and discussed prospects for expanding the multifaceted bilateral partnership presented by upcoming high-level engagements, it added.

    According to Nepal's foreign ministry, various matters related to further deepening the multifaceted partnership and strengthening the age-old ties of friendship between Nepal and India were discussed.

    Khanal said the close relations between Nepal and India "will gain new heights", according to the ministry.

    The two sides discussed various aspects of bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade, sports and education, with a focus on further strengthening multifaceted relations and deepening the historical friendship between the two countries, it added.

    He is likely to meet PM Shah, who is expected to pay an official visit to India towards the last week of November, sources said.

    Misri also paid a courtesy call on Finance Minister Swarnim Wagley and discussed economic collaboration between the two countries.

    His meeting with Finance Minister Wagle "featured a substantive exchange of views on further enhancement of the comprehensive and wide-ranging economic partnership between the two countries," the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.

    He also called on Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha. "The interaction featured a review of the ongoing projects and initiatives, apart from discussion on ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in energy and water resources," the Indian mission said.

    According to the energy minister's secretariat, matters relating to energy trade, construction of hydropower projects, disaster mitigation and early warning systems were discussed during the meeting,

    Shrestha thanked India for providing continuous support to Nepal during the recent disasters. He also requested India to increase power trade, complete assistance projects in Nepal and increase investment from the private sector.

    Misri said India was ready to collaborate with Nepal in the energy sector, the minister's office said.

    He also met Minister of Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal, who "shared his valuable insights on ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation, including in infrastructure and connectivity," the Indian mission said.

    Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.

    Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India.

    In May, the bilateral relations came under some unease following Shah's remarks seeking involvement of China and the UK to address the long-standing border dispute between India and Nepal.

    New Delhi categorically rejected any role for third parties to resolve its boundary row with Nepal, saying the two countries have an established bilateral mechanism to deal with all aspects of the border issue.

    Nepal and India have had an old boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani. India has consistently maintained that the territories are part of Uttarakhand.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)