Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Nepal from May 11, his third visit to the Himalayan state since he took over the reins of the government in 2014, the Ministry of External Affairs today said.
This is also the first high-level visit from India since the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Nepal, the MEA said in a statement.
Modi's visit to Nepal comes a little more than a month after Prime Minister Oli visited India. Oli had invited Modi to his country.
During Oli's visit, both sides had vowed to step up the overall engagement and take the relationship to newer heights on the basis of "equality, mutual trust and respect".
Oli's visit was seen as an attempt to repair Nepal's ties with India. In 2016, Oli had publicly criticised India for allegedly interfering in Nepal's internal matters and accused it of toppling his government.
After talks with Oli last month, Modi had said India would always stand by Nepal in its quest for all-round growth, asserting that deeper cooperation between the two neighbours would strengthen democracy in that country.
Yesterday, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Indian and Nepalese sides are working on various aspects of Modi's visit.
During the visit, besides holding talks with Oli, Modi will call on the President and the Vice President of Nepal, and interact with senior leaders of various political parties of Nepal.
Modi will also be visiting the historic cities of Janakpur and Muktinath, apart from engagements in Kathmandu.
"The state visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal, and will enable leaders to discuss matters of mutual interest and to strengthen cooperation in all areas of age-old, multi-faceted and expanding partnership between the two countries," the statement said.
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