Foreign Secretary Misri meets Nepal's Foreign Minister, discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties

Kathmandu [Nepal], August 12 : Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and discussed bilateral matters of mutual interest.
During the meeting, they also discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all sectors.
Misri paid an official visit to Nepal from August 11-12 at the invitation of the Nepal Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal.
https://x.com/IndiaInNepal/status/1822914453530177812
Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri called on Hon'ble Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba @Arzuranadeuba. Discussed bilateral matters of mutual interest & ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all sectors. Indian Embassy in Nepal said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, Misri also met his counterpart Sewa Lamsa on Monday and discussed wide-ranging issues covering various aspects of the multifaceted cooperation between the two nations.
"Both Foreign Secretaries reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects and discussed opportunities for further collaboration. The Foreign Secretary of Nepal also hosted a lunch for the visiting delegation," the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.
According to MEA, Foreign Secretary also called on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak and Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba.
Following this, Misri also called on Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli on Sunday.
Further, he conveyed to them greetings from the leadership in India and also briefed them on the progress being made in various aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
During the various engagements, both sides affirmed the close and friendly relations between India and Nepal which are deeply rooted in historical, cultural, civilizational and people-to-people ties.
"Both sides noted with satisfaction the substantial progress achieved in recent years in bilateral cooperation, especially in the various areas of connectivity - physical, digital, energy as well as people-to-people, which is manifested in the steady implementation of infrastructure projects related to roads, bridges, Integrated Check Posts, cross-border railways as well as petroleum pipelines," as per MEA.
Further, they also appreciated the progress made in the mutually beneficial partnership in the field of power sector cooperation, which has seen substantial progress in recent years.
In this context, it was noted with satisfaction that the manifold increase in Nepal's hydropower export to India in the last 2-3 years has created an additional source of revenue for Nepal and of clean energy for India.
The role of power sector cooperation in Nepal's graduation from LDC status in 2026 was also highlighted.
During the visit, Misri along with Mani Ram Gelal, Secretary, of the Ministry of Urban Development of Nepal, also jointly inaugurated the 'Nepal Bhasa Parishad', a historical residential building associated with eminent Nepali poet, Kavi Kesari Chittadhar 'Hridaya' in Raktakali in the heart of Kathmandu's old town.
This is one of the 28 cultural sector reconstruction projects undertaken with Government of India's assistance after the devastating 2015 earthquake.
Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First policy. The Foreign Secretary's visit continued the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and helped in advancing our bilateral ties further.