Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who landed in Kathmandu this morning, has started a secretary-level meeting with his Nepali counterpart Bharat Raj Paudyal at Yak and Yeti Hotel in the capital city Kathmandu.
The bilateral meeting will cover a half a dozen topics of bilateral cooperation, including connectivity, electricity trade, tourism, agriculture, health and culture, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Kwatra, who arrived on a two-day official visit to Nepal, is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal today.
After that, he will hold meetings with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and President Bidya Bhandari in the afternoon. It is said that he will invite PM Dahal to visit India in the meeting.
Kwatra will also pay courtesy calls on CPN (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba among others during his stay in Kathmandu.
This is Kwatra's first visit to Nepal after assuming the charge of Foreign Secretary in last April.
His Nepal visit is viewed significant since it is taking place less than one month before the election of the President.
The election for the president is scheduled for March 9. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Kwatra’s Nepal visit will further bolster age-old friendly ties between Nepal and India.
India is suspicious of recent increased activity by western countries, including the US, in Nepal.
Two senior officials from America visited Nepal in the past two weeks. Similarly, Afreen Akhter, another American official who looks after South Asian affairs, is also coming to Nepal today.
The Indian Foreign Secretary will return home on Tuesday.
