New Delhi:Marking the first important bilateral foreign visit of this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is all set to embark on an official trip to Nepal starting Thursday. He will co-host the 7th meeting of the India-Nepal joint commission with his Nepalese counterpart, N.P. Saud.
The visit is crucial as it is coming in the wake of China's growing regional influence but what is noteworthy is that despite pressure from China, Nepal is forging ahead to ramp up bilateral ties with New Delhi.
The visit will also see the first such bilateral exchange between the External Affairs Minister and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka Prachanda. Jaishankar was traveling abroad when the Nepal Prime Minister visited India in June 2023, although they did interact during Dahal’s previous tenures when Jaishankar was Foreign Secretary.
Commenting on the significance of the visit, former ambassador and foreign policy commentator, Anil Trigunayat said, "Nepal is culturally, India's closest partner and Jaishankar's visit underscores the importance India attaches to her 'Neighborhood First policy'. The Joint Commission meeting will encompass the whole gamut of bilateral relations. Energy cooperation which was expanded during PM Dahal's visit".
"As the regional geo-political context diversified, focussed initiatives and strategies must continue to be implemented for the growth and development and security of our friends in the neighbourhood", Trigunayat told ETV Bharat.
According to sources, a long-term agreement on power and modalities of the decision made in June 2023 “to increase the quantum of export of power, as an objective, from Nepal to India to 10,000 MW within the next 10 years”, would be the major announcement of the visit.