KATHMANDU: Nepal’s newly elected Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, on Saturday said he is “eager to work closely” with India while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his greetings following his oath-taking ceremony.
Prime Minister Modi had greeted Shah shortly after the swearing-in ceremony on Friday and said he looked forward to working closely with his Nepali counterpart to further strengthen India–Nepal ties.
Replying to Modi’s message, Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office posted on X: “Thank you, PM @narendramodi, for your kind words and warm wishes. I am eager to work closely with you to advance the multifaceted relations between our two countries for the common prosperity of our people.”
Nepal holds significant importance for India in the context of its broader strategic interests in the region. The landlocked country relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services, with its access to the sea routed through India. It also imports a substantial portion of its requirements from and through India.
Shah is the first democratically elected Prime Minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was ousted in September last year, following youth-led Gen Z protests against corruption, nepotism and a social media ban that escalated into violence.