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Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arzu Rana Deuba, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Deuba expressed her commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.
She thanked PM Modi for India's Neighbourhood First Policy and for the various development cooperation initiatives undertaken by India with Nepal. PM Modi appreciated the ongoing momentum in high-level engagement between India and Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in a press release. Arzu Rana Deuba extended an invitation from Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for PM Modi to visit Nepal. PM Modi accepted the invitation for a visit to Nepal on mutually convenient dates to be decided through diplomatic channels. PM Modi highlighted the close civilisational ties and progressive partnership between India and Nepal. He expressed his pleasure at welcoming the Nepalese Foreign Minister. Taking to X, PM Modi stated, "Pleased to welcome Nepal's Foreign Minister @Arzuranadeuba. India and Nepal share close civilisational ties and a progressive and multifaceted partnership. Looking forward to continued momentum in our development partnership." In a press release, the MEA stated, "The Prime Minister congratulated Foreign Minister Deuba on her appointment as the Foreign Minister of Nepal and appreciated the ongoing momentum in high-level engagements between the two sides. Highlighting the positive impact of these interactions on 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." "Had a courtesy meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi today in New Delhi. 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," the Nepalese Foreign Minister said in a post on X. "I also handed over an invitation from Rt. Hon Prime Minister @kpsharmaoli to PM Modi ji for a state visit to Nepal," she added. On August 19, India and Nepal discussed progress in cooperation between the two countries in the fields of power generation and sports, the Ministry of External Affairs stated. Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba is on an official visit to India from August 18-22 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The Foreign Ministers held bilateral talks on Monday, covering the full range of the India-Nepal bilateral partnership. They reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects and also discussed opportunities for further collaboration in existing and new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. "India and Nepal are close and friendly neighbours with deep historical, civilisational, cultural, and people-to-people linkages. There has been sustained momentum in recent years in the implementation of India-assisted projects in Nepal, particularly in the fields of connectivity--physical, digital, as well as people-to-people, including infrastructure and other projects related to cross-border railways, roads, and bridges, Integrated Check Posts, petroleum pipelines, and digital financial connectivity," the MEA stated. India and Nepal also noted the progress made in the mutually beneficial partnership in the field of power sector cooperation, where Nepal can now export close to 1000 MW of electricity, creating an additional source of revenue for Nepal and providing clean energy for India. In this connection, both Foreign Ministers noted the unprecedented opportunities in power sector cooperation that would be available with the implementation of the long-term power trade agreement. Foreign Minister Deuba thanked the Indian government for the approval of an additional 251 MW of power exports from Nepal and expressed confidence that power sector cooperation between the two countries would reach greater heights. "Thanks to the Government of India for the additional approval of 251 MW of power export from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal to India during the wet season months on a mid-term basis. With this quantum, I am delighted to mention that the Government of India has granted approval for the total hydropower export of 941 MW from Nepal to India so far. I am confident that power sector cooperation between the two countries will reach greater heights in the future," she stated in her post. Nepal is set to export an additional 251 MW of power to India, sourced from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, following approval by India's designated authority for cross-border trade. Following the approval, Nepal will, for the first time, be exporting power to Bihar through a medium-term power sales agreement, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu announced in a release. The two sides noted that sports is emerging as another area of cooperation between India and Nepal, and welcomed the recent facilitation of training for the Nepali cricket team at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. "Nepal is a priority partner for 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," the MEA added. Deuba also met with EAM S. Jaishankar, and the two leaders discussed multifaceted cooperation in trade, energy, and infrastructure development between the two countries. Nepali Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a five-day official visit to India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The Ministry of External Affairs said that the visit continues the tradition of regular high-level India-Nepal bilateral exchanges. (ANI)
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