Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit Nepal tomorrow, set stage for Balen Shah’s likely trip to India this month

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Misri will undertake an official visit to Nepal to “discuss bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual interest.”

“India and Nepal share strong and friendly ties which have seen substantial progress across diverse areas of cooperation. Foreign Secretary’s upcoming visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will help further enhance comprehensive bilateral partnership,” the MEA said.

On September 19, The Indian Express had reported that six months into the new Nepal government led by Prime Minister Shah, Delhi and Kathmandu are working towards scheduling a bilateral visit by him in the latter half of November. The two sides are looking at dates between November 22 and 24.

In September, Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle had met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and had discussed the possibility of the visit.

According to sources, Misri’s visit is aimed at preparing the ground for Balen Shah’s India visit — taking forward the conversation that started during Wagle’s visit.

During the visit, India and Nepal will prioritise cross-border connectivity, including roads, railways, air routes and transmission infrastructure, sources said. Clean-energy cooperation is central, with Nepal targeting 35,000 megawatts (MW) over the next nine years through run-of-river and storage projects.

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Nepal seeks expanded Indian investment, digitalization, high-value agriculture, green manufacturing, tourism and production-sharing opportunities, sources said. They will also discuss updating the trade treaty to cover services, investment protection, profit repatriation, and movement of parts and components, according to sources. Since this is the first bilateral visit after the devastating August 26 flash flood, this will also be an opportunity to exchange notes on the rescue and relief efforts. At least 270 Indians are still missing.

India sent humanitarian aid and extended emergency power support. It had delivered aid material and disaster relief supplies, apart from Bailey bridges.

Wagle’s visit was part of Kathmandu’s efforts to make up for its earlier actions — when Nepal PM Shah refused to meet the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, and his subsequent reluctance to meet Foreign Secretary Misri in May, which resulted in the latter’s visit being cancelled.

In early September, the Nepal PM thanked India for its timely assistance in response to the flood.

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The course correction, they say, began well before the flash flood. In June, Nepal’s top leader Rabi Lamichhane of the ruling Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) visited New Delhi and met Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.