KATHMANDU, Aug 12 : Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday met his Nepalese counterpart Sewa Lamsal and other senior political leaders of the Himalayan nation and discussed the steady growth of bilateral ties and ways to take it forward.
Misri’s two-day visit is the first by the Indian foreign secretary to Nepal after the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli last month.
“Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri met his counterpart Ms. Sewa Lamsal @sewa_lamsal. They discussed the steady growth of India-Nepal cooperation and ways to take it forward. #IndiaNepalFriendship,” the Indian embassy in Nepal said in a post on X.
Misri also called on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Paudel at his office in Singha Durbar.
“They discussed various topics, including economic and development cooperation, expediting the construction of ongoing projects and the mutual relations between the two countries,” The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.
Misri met Deputy Prime Minister Singh, who also holds the Urban Development Ministry portfolio, and discussed various issues, including problems related to cross-border movement at the Nepal-India border. India’s ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava was also present during the meeting.
They also discussed the possible cooperation between Nepal and India in the areas of city development, river cleaning, sanitation and solid waste management, according to sources close to Singh.
“Nepal and India are bound together not only by their common social and cultural values, but they also have collaboration on political fronts since the establishment of democracy in Nepal in 1950,” the source said, quoting Singh.
With India being the largest democracy in the world, “Nepal wants to further intensify its collaborative efforts with India to move forward in its democratisation process,” he said.
Singh also sought India’s permission to construct suspension bridges in the Nepal-India border areas to ease the movement of people.
He thanked India for its assistance in infrastructure development, post-earthquake reconstruction, and COVID-19 response in Nepal.
Misri expressed India’s commitment to continuously support Nepal’s peace, stability, and prosperity.
Continuing his high-level engagements, Misri also called on Foreign Minister Dr Deuba and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
“Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri called on Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr Arzu Rana Deuba. Discussed bilateral matters of mutual interest & ways to further strengthen India-Nepal bilateral cooperation across all sectors,” the Indian embassy in Nepal said in a post on X.
“On the occasion, Minister Rana raised the issue of air connectivity and requested the government of India to provide additional air routes to Nepal,” said press advisor to Foreign Minister Yekraj Pathak.
The minister also raised the matters relating to the establishment of laboratories in the border areas to test the quality of vegetables and fruits being imported from India through various border points, the press advisor said.
She also requested the Indian government to take the initiative to move forward with the remaining tasks of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, according to the Foreign Ministry sources.
They also discussed matters relating to the Tanakpur dam and Badganga as well as providing Indian assistance for controlling floods in the Rapti River and minimisation of risks associated with this.
Rana also raised the issue of giving continuity to dialogues relating to trade and transit with India, according to the sources.
On Sunday, Misri met with Nepal’s top leadership, including Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation in various sectors with the Himalayan nation since the formation of a new government here.
He also jointly inaugurated with the Secretary of Nepal’s Urban Development Ministry, Maniram Gelal, a new building of Nepal Bhasha Parishad in Kathmandu built under India’s post-earthquake reconstruction grant.
This is the first visit of the Indian foreign secretary to Nepal after the formation of the Oli-led coalition government last month.
Misri will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
He will attend a dinner reception hosted by Lamsal before wrapping up the visit to Nepal. (PTI)
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