From connectivity to electricity, Nepal FM to focus on several key issues during three-day India visit 

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, is set to pay an official visit to India from June 5 to 7 at the invitation of India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday.

The three-day visit to New Delhi comes on the heels of ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane's visit to India, which began on June 1.

Although Khanal held discussions with EAM Jaishankar and other regional leaders during the Ninth Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius in April, this will be his first official visit to India since the current government was formed on March 27.

The foreign ministry said Khanal would hold formal talks with EAM Jaishankar in New Delhi during the visit.

“The two sides will discuss matters of mutual interest, with a view to enhancing cooperation across key areas including trade, investment, connectivity, energy, and people-to-people ties,” the ministry said.

It mentioned that the visit forms part of the regular exchange of high-level engagements between Nepal and India and is expected to further consolidate the long-standing and multifaceted ties between the two neighbouring countries. Minister Khanal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on June 7.

A top ministry official told IANS that the two sides are scheduled to hold bilateral talks on June 6.

“During the visit, there are plans to discuss enhancing connectivity between the two countries in line with the priorities highlighted during RSP President Lamichhane’s tour,” the foreign ministry official said. “Improving railway, road, air, and people-to-people connectivity will be a major focus of the bilateral discussions.”

After meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Lamichhane said Nepal and India could build a partnership defined by progress and mutual trust by focusing on shared civilizational bonds, digital corridors, and seamless connectivity.

In a post on X, he said the RSP looked forward to translating these possibilities into reality for the people of Nepal and India for their shared prosperity.

“Foreign Minister Khanal will discuss with the Indian side ways to expedite the process on various issues,” the foreign ministry official said. The RSP-led government has previously announced its intention to focus on development diplomacy.

Nepal has long sought shorter air routes from India for the newly-built international airports in Lumbini in southwestern Nepal and Pokhara in western Nepal.

Currently, Nepal has only one major entry point from the southern border for most international flights, while Chinese airlines enter Nepal through Himalayan routes.

India has also conducted a detailed feasibility study of the proposed Raxaul–Kathmandu Railway, which could potentially be built with Indian assistance.

Although border disputes have made headlines in recent days following remarks by Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah suggesting that both Nepal and India had encroached upon each other’s land in border areas, the ministry official said the issue is not on the agenda for Khanal’s visit.

Border disputes have long remained one of the major irritants in Nepal-India relations. Both countries claim sovereignty over the disputed regions of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani on the outskirts of the Nepal-India traditional border in far west Nepal, which are currently under Indian control.