New Delhi/Kathmandu, Aug 16 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be on a two-day official visit to Kathmandu on August 17-18, in preparation for the upcoming visit of Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli to India on August 31.
This will be Nepal PM Oli’s first visit to India since assuming office 14 months ago.
In a break with the past, the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and the Nepalese PM is to be held in Bodh Gaya and not in Delhi, according to the Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Oli’s trip is to last only two days – he arrives on August 31 and departs for Kathmandu on September 1.
Earlier, the talks between the two sides have generally been held in New Delhi at Hyderabad House.
The venue of Bodh Gaya is significant, as it brings out the deep cultural linkages between the two nations.
Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal, and attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya.
Notably, PM Oli is travelling to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin.
Nepal is a dialogue partner of the SCO bloc. PM Modi is also set to attend the SCO Summit.
PM Oli will travel to India from China, for the bilateral with PM Modi.
Further details of the Nepal PM’s visit are set to be finalised during FS Misri’s Kathmandu visit.
According to the Nepal Foreign Ministry, the visit of PM Oli will focus less on major new agendas and more on strengthening bilateral ties, maintaining past agreements, and advancing a few new projectsAn Indian readout said: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be on an official visit to Nepal from 17-18 August at the invitation of Foreign Secretary of Nepal Amrit Bahadur Rai.“India and Nepal share strong and friendly ties which have seen concrete progress in recent years in diverse areas of cooperation.
“India attaches high priority to its relations with Nepal under its Neighborhood First policy.
“Foreign Secretary’s upcoming visit continues the tradition of regular high level exchanges between the two countries and will be an opportunity to further advance our bilateral ties.”
