Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar arriving in Kathmandu on Thursday on a two-day official visit to Nepal

Published On: January 3, 2024 07:46 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Main agenda of his visit is to lead Indian delegation in Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting being held on Thursday

KATHMANDU, Jan 3: Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is arriving in Kathmandu on Thursday on a two-day official visit to Nepal.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Minister Jaishankar is arriving in Kathmandu to participate in the seventh meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission (JC). The JC meeting is led by foreign ministers of both the countries.

According to the Personal Secretariat of Foreign Minister NP Saud, Jaishankar is scheduled to land in Kathmandu at 10 AM by a special airplane of the Indian Air Force.

According to Minister Saud’s Secretariat, the implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India will be discussed in the JC meeting. The two countries are also expected to sign a formal agreement to pave the way for exporting 10,000 MW electricity from Nepal to India in the next 10 years as agreed during the recent visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India.

Nepal and India are also scheduled to reach a separate agreement on India’s proposal to increase funds for small development projects under the High-impact Community Development Projects. The two sides are also expected to discuss giving final shape to the Pancheshwar Multi-purpose Project, although agreement to this effect is less likely now, according to government officials.

Officials at the MoFA said they are yet to give final shape to the agenda of the JC meeting. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister NP Saud held a consultation meeting with former foreign secretaries and former foreign minister and former ambassadors of Nepal to India to set the agenda.

They had suggested Foreign Minister Saud to work towards exploring ways to reduce trade deficit, expand power trade with India, strengthen cross-border infrastructures, expedite the works of stalled projects funded by India and ask the Indian side to provide an additional air entry routes to help bring the newly-constructed international airports into operation, according to Foreign Minister Saud's Personal Secretariat.

The sixth JC meeting was held on January 14 and 15 in 2021 in New Delhi.

During his stay in Kathmandu, Minister Jaishankar will pay courtesy calls on President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister Dahal, Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. He is also scheduled to inaugurate a library building built with the assistance of India at Tribhuvan University before his departure to New Delhi.