As part of his two-day visit to Nepal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met his Nepalese counterpart Sewa Lamsal on Monday. Misri’s visit is significant as the countries explore bilateral ties and developmental projects, including in hydropower and expanding connectivity.
Misri also met Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and President Ramchandra Paudel, per an official release from the Ministry of External Affairs.
“Foreign Secretary met his counterpart, the Foreign Secretary of Nepal, today. Their wide-ranging discussions covered various aspects of the multifaceted cooperation between India and Nepal. Both Foreign Secretaries reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and developmental projects and discussed opportunities for further collaboration,” the release said.
Power and connectivity
The meetings saw both sides appreciate the progress made in the field of power sector in the recent years. “It was noted with satisfaction that the manifold increase in Nepal’s hydropower export to India in the last 2-3 years has created additional source of revenue for Nepal, and of clean energy for India. The role of the power sector cooperation contributing to Nepal’s graduation from being a LDC (Least Developed Country) to that of a developing one in 2026 was also highlighted,” it pointed out.
The two sides also acknowledged the progress achieved in the recent years in terms of connectivity - physical, digital, energy as well as human, which manifests through steady implementation of infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, Integrated Check Posts, cross-border railways as well as petroleum pipelines, the release said.
On Sunday, the Foreign Secretary and Nepal’s Urban Development Secretary Mani Ram Gelal 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 sectors, which are being revived with India’s assistance after the devastating 2015 earthquake.