Delhi – Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, is on an official visit to India from August 18 to 22, 2024, at the invitation of India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar.
On August 19, Dr. Deuba held bilateral talks with Dr. Jaishankar, discussing the broad scope of the India-Nepal partnership.
The discussions included a review of the progress on various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects, as well as exploring opportunities for further cooperation in both existing and new areas of mutual interest.
As part of her visit, Foreign Minister Deuba also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their discussions focused on further strengthening cooperation in various mutually beneficial areas.
India and Nepal share a close and friendly relationship, deeply rooted in historical, cultural, and people-to-people connections.
In recent years, significant progress has been made in India-assisted projects in Nepal, particularly in the areas of physical, digital, and people-to-people connectivity.
This includes infrastructure projects such as cross-border railways, roads, bridges, Integrated Check Posts, petroleum pipelines, and digital financial connectivity.
The two sides also acknowledged advancements in power sector cooperation, with Nepal now exporting nearly 1,000 MW of electricity to India.
This development not only provides a new revenue stream for Nepal but also supplies clean energy to India. The ministers emphasized the unprecedented opportunities that will arise from implementing the Long Term Power Trade Agreement.
Additionally, sports have emerged as a new area of collaboration, with India recently facilitating training for the Nepali cricket team at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Nepal remains a priority partner for India under its Neighbourhood First policy. Dr. Deuba’s visit, in line with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries, provided an opportunity to explore new avenues for advancing bilateral ties.
