Nepal PM to visit India from April 6

KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will embark on a three-day state visit to India on April 6, the foreign ministries of Nepal and India announced on Friday.

Picking India for his first foreign trip as premier, Oli will look to mend ties with New Delhi. Officials said the visit will give an opportunity for both sides to engage after the Left Alliance government took office in Nepal.

Oli will be accompanied by his wife Radhika Shakya, ministers, members of Parliament, secretaries and other senior officials.

During his visit, Oli will hold official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and exchange views on matters of mutual interests. He will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind and vice president M Venkaiah Naidu. Some senior members of the Indian cabinet will also meet him.

The main focus of the visit will be strengthening and deepening economic ties between Nepal and India, building mutual trust, and addressing sensitivities. It will also look at the implementation of agreements and pacts, officials said.

A statement by India’s external affairs ministry said the two countries enjoy age-old, special ties of friendship and cooperation and the visit will provide an opportunity for the two sides to review their wide-ranging cooperative partnership, and to progress it further for the benefit of the two peoples.

Oli will also visit Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, and attend a programme organised at the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology.