Vikram Misri arrives in Nepal with India visit invite for Oli

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Kathmandu today, Sunday, August 17, to officially invite Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for an official visit to India. He landed at Tribhuvan International Airport on an Indian Air Force aircraft.

Misri is in Nepal at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. He will first meet Rai and later hold talks with senior leaders including Prime Minister KP Oli, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana, President Ramchandra Paudel, and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Misri will hand over the formal invitation on behalf of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Oli is preparing to visit India on 16 September for a two-day trip. The visit comes 14 months after he assumed office.

High-level talks will focus on the agenda of Oli’s India visit and different aspects of Nepal–India partnership. After the meetings, Misri is also scheduled to visit Pashupatinath Temple before returning to India.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has said the visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will help further strengthen bilateral relations.

Preparations are also being made for Oli and Modi to meet formally in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, a place where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.