Kathmandu, September 30: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah is expected to make a “meaningful” and “result-oriented” official visit to India, although the date has not yet been finalised, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after returning from the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Khanal said both Nepal and India were preparing for the Prime Minister’s visit and wanted it to produce concrete outcomes.
“Both sides are positive regarding the visit, but the date for the Prime Minister’s official visit to India is yet to be fixed,” Khanal said.
According to the Foreign Minister, Nepal received an invitation for Shah’s visit soon after the formation of the new government. Preparations for the trip are currently underway.
Khanal said the government had decided that Shah’s visits to Nepal’s two neighbouring countries would be planned according to priorities, with those priorities to be clearly presented to both countries.
Shah recently returned from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly. It was his first foreign visit since the formation of the new government under his leadership.
During his address to the UN General Assembly on September 24, Shah highlighted Nepal’s concerns over climate change and its impact on mountain communities.
He also raised the issue of the devastating floods that struck Nepal last month and called for climate justice, arguing that Nepal’s contribution to global climate change remains minimal despite the severe impact of climate-related disasters on the country.
