New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay a two-day visit to Nepal later this week during which he will hold talks with his counterpart and other Nepalese dignitaries to advance bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.
The foreign secretary's visit to Nepal on November 26-27 comes amid a strain in bilateral ties following a bitter border row between the two countries. This will be the first visit of the Foreign Secretary to Nepal since he assumed charge.
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.
During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will meet his counterpart and other Nepalese dignitaries to discuss the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Noting that India has historical and civilization linkages with Nepal, the MEA said in recent years, bilateral cooperation has strengthened, with several major infrastructures and cross-border connectivity projects completed with India's assistance.
The visit will be an opportunity to further advance the bilateral ties between the two countries.
The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.
Foreign Secretary Shringla is visiting at the invitation of Nepal Foreign Secretary Paudyal. This will be a continuation of the regular exchange of high-level visits between the two friendly neighbours, later the Nepalese Foreign Ministry said.
During his visit, he is scheduled to call on the high-level dignitaries of Nepal. He will also hand over coronavirus (COVID-19) related support to the Government of Nepal. He will return to New Delhi on Friday.
Earlier this month, Indian Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane travelled to Nepal on a three-day visit during which he held talks with Nepal’s top leadership and discussed bilateral relations.
During the visit, he called on Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who is also the Defence Minister of Nepal. Oli told him that problems between Nepal and India would be resolved through dialogue.
These visits by top Government officials are aimed at resettling bilateral ties that came under severe strain following a bitter border row between the two countries.
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