Foreign Secy Vikram Misri meets Nepal's leadership, discusses ways to further strengthen cooperation

Kathmandu, Aug 17 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

The Indian Embassy in Nepal, in a post on X, said: "Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on the Rt. Hon'ble Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli. FS reaffirmed the deep civilizational ties and strong India-Nepal partnership, and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation across various sectors."

Misri also called on Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel and conveyed greetings from the Indian leadership. During the meeting, he briefed the President on the progress in bilateral ties.

"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on the Rt. Hon'ble President of Nepal Mr. Ramchandra Paudel and conveyed greetings of the Indian leadership, apart from briefing Hon’ble President on the progress in bilateral ties," Indian Embassy in Nepal posted on X.

The Foreign Secretary also called on Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba. During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to further enhance the multifaceted partnership between two nations across all sectors.

"Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on on the Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba There was a substantial exchange of views on issues of mutual interest and ways to further enhance the multifaceted India-Nepal partnership, across all sectors", the mission posted on X.

Earlier in the day, Misri arrived in Kathmandu for a two-day official visit at the invitation of his Nepal counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai.

Announcing his arrival, the Indian Embassy said: "Foreign Secretary of India Vikram Misri arrives in Kathmandu for an official visit, which reflects the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal, and reaffirms the commitment to the Neighbourhood First policy."

In a statement issued on Friday ahead of Misri's visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said: "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 Neighbourhood 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."

According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the visit, the two Foreign Secretaries will hold discussions on various aspects of the Nepal-India partnership, with a focus on connectivity, development cooperation, and other matters of mutual interest. Foreign Secretary Misri was also scheduled to call on other high-level dignitaries in Kathmandu.

--IANS

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