Misri will hand over an official invitation from Indian Prime Minister Modi to Prime Minister Oli to visit India.
Kathmandu, 17 Aug: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has arrived in Kathmandu. At the invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Misri landed in the capital at 9 a.m. on Sunday for a two-day official visit.
Vikram Misri has come to Nepal to hold preparatory discussions on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s proposed visit to India on September 16. The Foreign Ministry has not released an official schedule for his trip, but sources said he is staying at the Soaltee Hotel.
From the airport, Misri will go directly to the hotel, after which he is scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, opposition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba.
During these meetings, Misri will formally hand over an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Prime Minister Oli to visit India.
On this occasion, secretary-level bilateral talks will also be held between Nepal and India. This evening, Foreign Secretary Rai has organized a dinner reception in honor of Misri.
Prime Minister Oli’s visit to India is taking place 14 months after he assumed office. According to a Foreign Ministry official, Misri’s visit to Nepal is focused on laying the groundwork and creating the atmosphere for Prime Minister Oli’s trip to India.
According to the official, Foreign Secretary Misri’s meetings in Kathmandu will help outline the agendas to be raised at the prime ministerial level and identify possible areas for signing agreements.
During Prime Minister Oli’s upcoming visit to India, preparations are underway for him and Prime Minister Modi to hold bilateral talks outside New Delhi. Foreign Ministry sources said that a formal meeting between the two leaders is being planned in Bodh Gaya, a city in Bihar renowned as a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists, where the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Misri will return to New Delhi on Monday. This is his second visit to Nepal; he previously came on a two-day trip on August 11–12 last year.
