Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will visit Nepal soon, reported RSS, the state-owned news agency, citing Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba.
Deuba made the remark after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart met on Sunday in New York on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
It was the first meeting between the two leaders since Oli became the prime minister for the third time earlier in July this year, succeeding Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The discussion on Sunday was primarily focused on energy, technology, and trade.
“Had a fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi ji, on the sidelines of #UNGA79,” Oli wrote on the social media platform X. “During the meeting, various matters of bilateral relations were discussed.”
Modi also shared photos of the meeting on X, saying, “Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister KP Oli in New York. The India-Nepal friendship is very robust, and we look forward to adding even more momentum to our ties. Our talks focused on issues such as energy, technology, and trade.”
Modi, as a prime minister, has visited Nepal five times so far, with the latest in May 2022 for the Buddha Purnima celebration in Lumbini.
“The two leaders…..expressed satisfaction at the progress made in diverse sectors, including development partnership, hydropower cooperation, people-to-people ties, and enhancing connectivity—physical, digital, and in the domain of energy,” the India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a press statement. “Prime Minister congratulated Nepal on becoming the 101st country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a full member and underlined the importance of a regional response to the challenge of climate change.”
Besides Deuba, PM’s Political Adviser Bishnu Rimal, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lok Bahadur Thapa, and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Amrit Kumar Rai were also part of the Nepali delegation during the meeting with Modi.
Likewise, Modi was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Earlier, Prime Minister Oli chaired the first interactive dialogue of the Summit of the Future, titled "Transforming Global Governance and Turbocharging the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
He also addressed the plenary session as the Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the Least Developed Countries.
This is Oli's first foreign visit since took office as prime minister on July 15.
Before Modi, Oli met with dignitaries including Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on the sidelines.
During his 10-day stay in the United States, Oli is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 26.
