New Delhi: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah met with India’s ambassador, Naveen Srivastava, on Monday in his first high-level diplomatic engagement with an envoy from a neighbouring country since taking office, as his government seeks to navigate a series of political and diplomatic challenges.
Srivastava had a 45-minute meeting with Shah at the prime minister’s office in Singha Durbar during which the two sides discussed ways to strengthen relations between Nepal and India, Srivastava said.
In a post on X, Srivastava said they exchanged views on deepening the “multifaceted and strong partnership” between the two countries and that he conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said the discussions focused on further strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation within the longstanding, multidimensional partnership between the two countries.
Shah, who became prime minister on 27 March, has not previously been reported to have met with an ambassador representing any of Nepal’s neighboring countries since assuming office.
His engagement with India comes after an earlier diplomatic setback. Shah was earlier supposed to meet India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, during a proposed visit to Nepal on 11 May. Misri’s trip was subsequently postponed at the last minute.
The new Nepal government has invited Misri to visit, but no confirmed date has been set.
The meeting with Srivastava now marks a shift toward more direct diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
Shah is also scheduled to meet the Chinese envoy later.
The outreach comes as the Shah government confronts a range of domestic and foreign-policy challenges and works to establish its diplomatic priorities.
India and Nepal maintain extensive ties spanning trade, energy, infrastructure, security and people-to-people connections. Their relationship has at times been complicated by disagreements over borders, trade and political influence.
Six months after Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party swept to power riding on a wave of anti-establishment sentiment, the uneasiness between its two most prominent figures, Balendra Shah and RSP chairman Rabi Lamichhane, is manifesting through disputes over party rules, cabinet appointments, and foreign policy.
The meeting with the Chinese envoy also comes after a conference on Tibetan studies scheduled to take place in Nepal this month was cancelled at the request of government officials.
The International Association for Tibetan Studies seminar scheduled for 23-26 August was expected to bring together scholars and delegates from several countries. It was to be hosted by the Himalaya Centre for Asian Studies at Kathmandu University.
Nepal has long maintained close relations with China and has generally barred activities supporting the Tibetan independence movement or other pro-Tibetan political causes.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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