Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba will visit Varanasi during his April 1-3 visit to India. Mr. Deuba will be accompanied by his spouse Arzu Deuba. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a high-power delegation would accompany Prime Minister Deuba.
"India and Nepal enjoy age-old ties. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation. The visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review this wide-ranging partnership and to progress it further for the benefit of the two peoples," the MEA said on Monday.
Mr. Deuba will hold a meeting with Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will call on Mr. Deuba. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal announced that the Nepalese delegation will include Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka and other senior Ministers and secretaries.
Prime Minister Deuba is expected to address a gathering of entrepreneurs during his stay here. In keeping with the preparatory steps, Nepal sent ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma who was appointed as the envoy of Nepal in place of Nilambar Acharya.
Mr. Deuba became Prime Minister in July 2021 after the intervention from the Supreme Court that removed K.P. Sharma Oli. He will have to deal with Mr. Oli’s CPN-UML in the coming local elections that will ultimately culminate in the general election later this year. The Nepalese side is expected to raise several infrastructure projects that are currently pending between the two sides. Mr. Deuba’s visit to India will take place days after the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Kathmandu and Delhi and indicates Nepal’s continued efforts to maintain balanced ties among the northern and southern neighbours.
