Jaishankar calls on Nepal PM, co-chairs 2-day meet
Kathmandu: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who arrived here on Wednesday on a two-day Nepal visit called on Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli ahead of the two-day 5th India-Nepal Joint Commission meeting. Jaishankar will call on President Bidya Bhandari on Thursday.
“A warm and in-depth conversation with PM @kpsharmaoli. Really appreciate his receiving me amidst his many preoccupations,” Jaishankar tweeted. He arrived here from Dhaka.
Jaishankar was received at the airport by Nepal Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Nepal’s Ambassador to India Nilamber Acharya and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri.
This is Jaishankar’s first visit to Nepal after becoming Foreign Minister in May. He had previously visited Nepal as the Foreign Secretary. He had also come on the eve of the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015.
Jaishankar also co-chaired the the Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting along with his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Gyawali.
The joint commission, meeting after three years, will review the state of bilateral relations and various areas of cooperation, such as connectivity and economic partnership, trade and transit, power and water resources, culture and education.
Set up in 1987, the commission’s meetings are held alternately in both countries.