AMN / KATHMANDU / NEW DELHI
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has returned home after concluding his two-day visit to Nepal. On the second day of his visit, Dr. Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu this morning.
Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri and Nepal’s Ambassador to India Neelambar Acharya were also present on the occasion.
Earlier Dr. Jaishankar and his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali co-chaired 5th meeting of India-Nepal Joint Commission yesterday. In a tweet, Dr. Jaishankar said, discussions were productive. He said, Joint Commission comprehensively reviewed bilateral relations and identified areas for cooperation.
According to a press release issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main focus was on connectivity and economic partnership; trade and transit; power and water resources and culture and education. The commission also expressed happiness over momentum generated in overall aspects of Nepal-India relations following the exchange of high-level visits in the last two years.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Food Safety and Standards between Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) of Nepal was signed. During the meeting cheques amounting to 3.74 Billion Nepali rupees were handed over to Govt of Nepal towards India’s support for the reconstruction of 50,000 houses in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts and Terai Roads Project.
During his visit, Dr. Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. He also attended a banquet hosted by Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs in his honour.
