New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal arrived in New Delhi on Friday, kicking off a three-day visit to India, his first after assuming office earlier this year.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that Khanal’s visit to India will help further strengthen ties between the two neighbouring nations.

“Warm welcome to Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal of Nepal for his first official visit to India. Continuing with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges, the visit will help further strengthen the special partnership between India and Nepal,” the MEA posted on X.

During his visit, he will hold talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday.

“He (Nepal Foreign Minister) just arrived some time back. He will be meeting our Foreign Minister. With Nepal, we have an expansive agenda from development cooperation to people-to-people ties to trade and investment. All these ties together will be discussed when the two Foreign Ministers meet. But on our side, we are keen to further strengthen this multifaceted partnership that we have with Nepal,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters during a media briefing in New Delhi on Friday afternoon.

According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides will discuss matters of mutual interest, with a view to enhancing cooperation across key areas including trade, investment, connectivity, energy, and people-to-people ties.

The Nepalese ministry mentioned that the visit forms part of the regular exchange of high-level engagements between Nepal and India and is expected to further consolidate the long-standing and multifaceted ties between the two neighbouring countries. Minister Khanal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on June 7.

“During the visit, there are plans to discuss enhancing connectivity between the two countries in line with the priorities highlighted during RSP President Lamichhane’s tour. Improving railway, road, air, and people-to-people connectivity will be a major focus of the bilateral discussions,” a foreign ministry official told IANS in Kathmandu.

Although Khanal held discussions with EAM Jaishankar and other regional leaders during the Ninth Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius in April, this is his first official visit to India since assuming office.

The visit to New Delhi comes on the heels of ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane’s visit to India, which began on June 1.

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Lamichhane said Nepal and India could build a partnership defined by progress and mutual trust by focusing on shared civilisational bonds, digital corridors, and seamless connectivity.

In a post on X, he said the RSP looked forward to translating these possibilities into reality for the people of Nepal and India for their shared prosperity.

–IANS

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