Nepal's new foreign min embarks on 5-day India visit to strengthen ties

Nepal's new Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana is visiting India at the invitation of Jaishankar, the foreign ministry said in a statement. This is Rana's first official visit to a foreign country

Nepal's new Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana on Sunday embarked on a five-day official visit to India during which she will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral ties and promote cooperation.

Rana is visiting India at the invitation of Jaishankar, the foreign ministry said in a statement. This is Rana's first official visit to a foreign country after assuming charge.

"During the visit, Foreign Minister Rana will hold a bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Jaishankar and discuss matters of mutual interest for strengthening Nepal-India relations and promoting cooperation," it said.

As part of the regular exchange of high-level visits between Nepal and India, Rana's trip will further consolidate the age-old, deep and multi-faceted relations between the two neighbours, the statement said.

"Nepal is a priority partner of India in its Neighbourhood First policy. The forthcoming visit will provide both sides an opportunity to discuss and review the progress in bilateral cooperation and help in advancing our ties further," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in New Delhi.

The visit of Rana, who is also the spouse of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, comes after the Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday endorsed the India-visit programme of a delegation led by the Foreign Minister, Communications and Information Technology minister Prithvi Subba Gurung had earlier said.

The visit by Rana is taking place a week after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Nepal.

Rana, 62, will also have her health checkup in Delhi during the visit, according to foreign ministry sources. She is scheduled to return to Nepal on August 22.