Kathmandu, Oct 16 (PTI) Preparations are underway for Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s official visit to India, with the dates and agenda yet to be finalised, Foreign Ministry sources in Kathmandu said on Friday.
Shah, who took office on March 27, has not yet undertaken an official bilateral foreign visit. He travelled to the United States in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Shah received an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India when the government led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party leader was formed in March. The proposed trip would be Shah’s first official visit to the neighbouring country.
The date of the visit will be decided through mutual agreement between the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri told PTI.
The ministry is carrying out routine preparations for Shah’s India visit, which could take place after Nepal’s major Hindu festivals, including Vijaya Dashami, Deepawali and Chhath, conclude. The festival season may extend until mid-November, Chhetri said.
It has been a longstanding practice for newly elected Nepali prime ministers to make India their first official bilateral foreign destination, although the convention is not an absolute rule. Former prime minister K P Sharma Oli broke with the practice in 2024 by visiting China first.
During his address to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Shah proposed a trilateral mechanism involving Nepal, India and China to cooperate in tackling the impacts of climate change. He is likely to raise the proposal during bilateral talks with Modi, according to sources.
The proposal came against the backdrop of devastating floods and landslides in Nepal on August 26 that killed more than 1,400 people, highlighting the need for greater regional cooperation to address climate-related disasters. PTI SBP FHK
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