 "Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra (right) with his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Paudyal (left). (Photo: Twitter/@MEAIndia)")
New Delhi and Kathmandu have jointly announced the upcoming visit of India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra to Nepal on February 13.
In a statement on Friday, the Foreign Ministry in Kathmandu said Kwatra's two-day visit comes on the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal.
This will be first high-level visit from India after the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal assumed office on December 25 last year.
According to the statement, Kwatra and Paudyal will review the status of India-funded projects in Nepal as well as discuss various matters of bilateral cooperation such as connectivity, power trade, agriculture, health and culture.
The Indian diplomat will also call on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Dahal, former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and KP Sharma Oli.
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He is expected to handover an invitation to Dahal to visit India.
On its part, the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said that this will be the Foreign Secretary's first stand alone visit since he assumed office in May 2022.
In a statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said that this will be the first stand alone visit of the Foreign Secretary to Nepal since he assumed charge. He was appointed foreign secretary in April last year.
"The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.
"During the visit, the two Foreign Secretaries will hold discussions on the entire range of multifaceted cooperation between India and Nepal.
"India has historical and civilizational linkages with Nepal, and bilateral cooperation between the two countries has strengthened in the recent years, with several major infrastructure and cross-border connectivity projects completed with India's assistance.
"The visit will be an opportunity to further advance our bilateral ties," said the Ministry statement.
--IANS
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