Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening met with visiting Foreign Minister Arzu Rana at his official residence and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues and ways to strengthen relations.
Rana, who reached the Indian capital New Delhi on Sunday, held back-to-back talks with Modi and her counterpart, S Jaishankar on Monday.
“Pleased to welcome Nepal’s Foreign Minister @Arzuranadeuba. India and Nepal share close civilizational ties and a progressive and multifaceted partnership. Looking forward to continued momentum in our development partnership,” Modi wrote on X after his meeting with Foreign Minister Rana.
In the past, very few Nepali foreign ministers have had the opportunity to meet with the Indian prime minister during such visits.
The Prime Minister congratulated Foreign Minister Rana on her appointment as the Foreign Minister of Nepal and appreciated the ongoing momentum in high level engagements between the two sides, said a statement issued by the office of the Indian prime minister on Monday.
“Highlighting the positive impact of these interactions in the bilateral relationship, he also appreciated the participation of the Prime Minister of Nepal in the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit hosted by India,” said the statement. Prime Minister KP Oli had participated in the summit on Saturday organised by the government of India.
Foreign Minister Rana thanked the Prime Minister for India’s Neighbourhood First policy and various development cooperation initiatives undertaken by India with Nepal, said the statement of the office of the Indian prime minister. “She conveyed her commitment to further strengthen the India-Nepal bilateral relations.”
“She handed over an invitation from Nepal’s Prime Minister for PM Modi to visit Nepal. The Prime Minister accepted the invite for a visit to Nepal on mutually convenient dates to be decided through diplomatic channels.”
After the meeting Foreign Minister Rana said they discussed the multifaceted relations between Nepal and India.
“We discussed the multifaceted diversity of Nepal-India relations. I hope this visit and our high-level meetings will elevate the historical ties between our two countries to new heights,” she said.
During the call on, views were exchanged on further consolidating Nepal-India relations and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Nepali Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement after the meeting between Rana and Modi.
Joining Modi in the meeting were Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Secretary Advisor, Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary PK Mishra, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and Indian ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, among others.
From the Nepali side, Charge d’Affaires a.i. Surendra Thapa, Joint Secretary and South Asia Division Head Bhrigu Dhungana, and senior official Durapada Sapkota were also in attendance.
Earlier in the afternoon, Rana held bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart, Jaishankar, and discussed various aspects of Nepal-India relations.
Most issues and matters were discussed during the Indian Foreign Secretary Misri’s recent visit to Kathmandu, said a Nepali official, but the first meeting between Rana and Jaishankar allowed for a more detailed discussion of bilateral concerns.
The two ministers reviewed the overall aspects of bilateral relations including matters relating to trade and transit, energy, connectivity, investment, air routes, flood and inundation, Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, sports, and border infrastructure, among others, the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
The two sides also agreed to continue engagement at various levels including through regular bilateral mechanisms, the statement added further.
Jaishankar hosted a luncheon in honour of Rana and the Nepali delegation.
“I had a productive meeting with the External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar in New Delhi,” Rana wrote on X. “We discussed bilateral interests, various aspects of Nepal-India relations and mutual cooperation. I am confident that this visit will further strengthen the age-old bond between Nepal and India,” she said.
“Pleased to welcome FM Arzu Rana Deuba of Nepal on his first official visit abroad,” Jaishankar wrote on“X” after his meeting with Rana. “We discussed the multi-faceted cooperation between India and Nepal, including in the areas of energy, trade, connectivity and infrastructure development.”
“I am happy to note that Nepal will be exporting nearly 1000 MW of electricity to India, a new milestone. Our Neighborhood First policy and unique people-to-people and cultural linkages are driving our relationship forward,” added Jaishankar.
Only on Monday, India has announced that it is importing additional 251 megawatts of energy from Nepal from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal.
Thanking the government of India for approving the additional export of 251 MW of power from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal to India during the wet season on a mid-term basis, Rana stated that with this approval, the total hydropower export from Nepal to India now stands at 941 MW.
“I am confident that power sector cooperation between the two countries will take more heights in the future,” she added.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said the foreign ministers held bilateral talks on Monday, covering the full range of the India-Nepal bilateral partnership.
The foreign ministers reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects and also discussed opportunities for further collaboration in the existing and new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, the statement added.
“India and Nepal are close and friendly neighbours with deep historical, civilizational, cultural, and people to people linkages. There has been sustained momentum in the recent years in the implementation of India assisted projects in Nepal, which is especially manifested in the fields of connectivity–physical, digital as well as people to people, including in the infrastructure and other projects related to cross-border railways, roads and bridges, Integrated Check Posts, petroleum pipelines, and digital financial connectivity,” reads the statement further.
The two sides also noted the progress made in the mutually beneficial partnership in the field of power sector cooperation, where Nepal can now export electricity close to 1000 MW, creating an additional source of revenue for Nepal and clean energy for India, said the statement of Indian side, adding, “In this connection, both foreign ministers noted the unprecedented opportunities in the power sector cooperation that would be available on implementation of the Long Term Power Trade Agreement.”
Noting that sports is emerging as another area of cooperation between India and Nepal, the recent facilitation of providing training for the Nepali cricket team at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru was also welcomed, the statement reads.
“Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First policy. The Foreign Minister’s visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss and identify newer areas of cooperation to further advance our bilateral ties.”
