KATHMANDU Feb 17: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended congratulations and best wishes to the newly-appointed Prime Minister KP Oli.
In a telephone call shortly after Oli assumed his office on Thursday evening, Indian PM Modi congratulated Oli on assuming office as Nepal’s prime minister. He also expressed his best wishes for the successful tenure of Oli’s premiership and also extended him invitation for a visit to India, according to Oli’s press coordinator Chetan Adhikari.
Adhikari said Indian Prime Minister Modi also pledged all necessary support to Nepal’s development endeavor as Prime Minister Oli shared with him his plan to work for development and prosperity of the country. Prime Minister Modi also pledged all necessary support to Nepal in its endeavor for development and prosperity.
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In response, Prime Minister Oli thanked his Indian counterpart for the congratulations and best wishes and India’s pledge of support for Nepal’s development and prosperity. Prime Minister Oli, who has had troubled relations with India during his premiership immediately after the promulgation of the constitution in September, 2015, also told Prime Minister Modi that his government will make efforts to further strengthen friendship with India, according to Oli’s Personal Secretariat.
Prime Minister Oli also extended invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Nepal including Janaki Mandir and Muktinath – the two famous pilgrimage sites for Hindus, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The planned visit of Prime Minister Modi to these two holy sites during his last visit to Nepal was cancelled due to security reasons.
Prior to Prime Minister Modi, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called Prime Minister Oli over telephone and congratulated him on the assumption of premiership. She expressed India’s desire to work closely with Nepal during the premiership of Oli.
Minister Swaraj also visited Kathmandu in the first week of February and congratulated him for securing overwhelming victory in the provincial assembly and parliamentary polls.
According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Indian ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri had reached Prime Minister Oli’s residence at Balkot on Thursday midnight with a bouquet to offer his congratulations and hand over a letter of congratulations from Prime Minister Modi. Prime Minister Modi, in his letter, expressed his best wishes for Nepal’s economic prosperity and development and stated that he looked forward to strengthening multi-faceted bilateral cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi’s message, according to Oli’s Secretariat, also said that he will give high emphasis on further enhancing the age-old relations between Nepal and India based on trust, goodwill and mutual confidence.
