NEW DELHI: Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is expected to visit India on January 14 and likely to urge New Delhi for a commitment of 12 million vaccine doses for the Himalayan nation. Sources said the Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would be held on January 15 and officials are currently giving final touches to the agreements that could be signed during the visit. The commitment to the vaccine could be an important development as Nepal is being seen to prefer India over China on the vaccine issue.
Nepal has been offered China’s vaccine — Sinovac — but it seems to be interested in procuring the Indian vaccine. Nepal Ambassador to India Nilamber Acharya has already held several meetings with Indian vaccine manufacturers, with the latest meeting held on Tuesday with Dr V Krishna Mohan, executive director of Bharat Biotech. The two ministers are also likely to discuss the boundary issues which had led to relations between the two countries nosedive.
The visit also assumes significance as it comes amid a political crisis in the Himalayan nation, with PM KP Sharma Oli and former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal having split the ruling Nepal Communist Party into two factions. While China is seen to be supportive of Dahal, India has resorted to a wait and watch approach as the crisis unfolds there.