Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday for a two-day visit aimed at preparing for Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s proposed visit to India and reinvigorating Nepal-India diplomatic ties.
During his two-day visit, Misri is scheduled to meet senior Nepali officials and political leaders. He held a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Shishir Khanal on Wednesday.
Misri’s visit is being viewed as an important diplomatic initiative to prepare the agenda for Prime Minister Shah’s possible visit to India and identify key priorities in bilateral relations.
During their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar, Minister Khanal expressed confidence that the close relationship between Nepal and India would reach new heights in the coming days. Khanal had conveyed a similar message during his recent visit to India.
According to the ministry, issues related to further strengthening multifaceted partnership between the two countries and deepen historic friendship. The two also exchanged views on expanding cooperation in areas such as energy, aviation, trade, sports and education.
A key objective of Misri’s visit is to reach an understanding on the agenda for Prime Minister Shah’s proposed visit to India and the potential outcomes of the trip. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shah on Thursday. On the occasion, Misri is also expected to formally convey an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Shah to visit India.
Prime Minister Shah’s visit to India had earlier been tentatively scheduled for the third week of November. However, the official date and agenda have yet to be announced. Reports suggest that Shah is preparing to visit India on November 23. Misri’s visit is expected to help finalize the arrangements.
Misri, who is visiting Nepal at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, will also hold delegation-level talks with Rai to review the overall state of bilateral relations.
Nepal’s proposed economic assistance package from India, development projects being implemented with Indian support, new areas of cooperation and issues to be raised during the prime minister’s visit are expected to feature prominently in the talks.
Energy trade, cross-border transmission lines, road and railway networks, air connectivity and trade facilitation are also expected to be among the priority issues.
Misri was originally scheduled to visit Nepal in May. But the visit was called off following differences over scheduling a meeting with Prime Minister Balen and matters relating to diplomatic protocol.
