NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra and his Nepal counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal reviewed the bilateral partnership and agreed to strengthen economic and development cooperation for the benefit of the region at a meeting in Kathmandu on Monday.
Kwatra, who is on a two-day visit to Nepal at the invitation of Paudyal, also met President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and foreign minister Bimala Rai Paudyal on Monday. This is Kwatra’s first stand-alone visit to Nepal since he became foreign secretary in May last year.
The Indian embassy in Kathmandu said in a tweet that the two foreign secretaries “reviewed the wide-ranging India-Nepal partnership”. It added, “Both sides agreed to further strengthen their economic and development cooperation for benefit of the two countries and region as a whole.”
During his meeting with Bhandari at Sheetal Niwas, Kwatra conveyed greetings on behalf of President Droupadi Murmu. Kwatra had a “fruitful exchange on strengthening the comprehensive India-Nepal relations” during his meeting with Paudyal, the Indian embassy said in another tweet.
No further details were immediately available on all the meetings. The external affairs ministry said earlier that Kwatra’s visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority that India attaches to its ties with Nepal under the “Neighbourhood First” policy.
The ministry said cooperation between India and Nepal has strengthened in recent years, with several major infrastructure and cross-border connectivity projects completed with Indian assistance.
