Foreign Secretary to tour Nepal, likely to formally invite Prachanda to visit India

NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, will be on an official visit to Nepal from Monday at the invitation of his counterpart in Nepal, Bharat Raj Paudyal. It is likely that FS Kwatra also uses this opportunity to extend a formal invite to Nepalese Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal popularly known as Prachanda to visit India.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra will be on an official visit to Nepal from 13-14 February. During the visit, the Foreign Secretaries of India & Nepal will hold discussions on the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries: Ministry of External Affairs pic.twitter.com/GW0c7Ih9AO

— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2023

Prachanda, after being elected as the Prime Minister, had told a section of Nepalese media that India will be his first port of call. There is a strong chance of this happening within a month, say sources.

Meanwhile, this will be Foreign Secretary Kwatra's first stand-alone visit to Nepal since he assumed charge. Before assuming charge as FS, he was India’s Ambassador to Nepal.

"The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. During the visit, the two Foreign Secretaries will hold discussions on the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between India and Nepal," according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

ALSO READ | Prachanda likely to visit India on first foreign tour as PM

India has historical and civilizational linkages with Nepal, and bilateral cooperation between the two countries has strengthened in recent years, with several major infrastructure and cross-border connectivity projects completed with India’s assistance. 

"The visit will be an opportunity to further advance our bilateral ties," MEA says.