New Delhi (NVI): Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be on a two-day official visit to Nepal on November 26 and 27, during which he will meet his counterpart and other Nepalese dignitaries to discuss the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the External Affairs Ministry said today.
This will be Shringla’s first visit to Nepal since he assumed charge, MEA said. The Foreign Secretary’s visit to Nepal comes amid strained relations between the two countries over a border row earlier this year.
“The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal,” MEA said in a statement.
The Ministry further stated that India has historical and civilization linkages with Nepal. “In recent years, bilateral cooperation has strengthened, with several major infrastructure and cross-border connectivity projects completed with India’s assistance,” it said, adding that the Foreign Secretary’s visit will be an opportunity to further advance India’s bilateral ties with Nepal.
The strains emerged after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal protested it, claiming that it passed through its territory.
Days later, Nepal came out with a new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. Subsequently, in June, Nepal’s Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas, which India maintains belong to it. India termed the move as “artificial enlargement” of territorial claims by Nepal.
Earlier this month, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane paid a three-day visit to Nepal and met his Nepali counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa in Kathmandu. The Army Chief also presented medical equipment for two field hospitals of the Nepali Army.
-ARK
