As the first senior foreign dignitary to visit Nepal after the formation of the Sushil Koirala-led government in February and elections to the second Constituent Assembly in November last year, India’s new Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj arrives in Kathmandu on a three-day official visit beginning on July 25.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. At a time when Nepal is inching towards the completion of the peace process and drafting a new constitution, the visit of EAM Swaraj will give the new Indian establishment an opportunity to understand the situation here. The trip is also expected to pave the way for the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the first half of August.
Swaraj was invited by Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, when he accompanied Prime Minister Koirala to New Delhi during the swearing-in of Indian PM Modi.
This will be her first official visit to Nepal as the external affairs minister. She will lead the Indian delegation in the third Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting to be held on July 26-27, the Foreign Ministry stated.
Established at the foreign ministers’ level in 1987, the Joint Commission is a bilateral mechanism to oversee the entire gamut of Nepal-India relations and provide directives on measures to further strengthen these ties. The second meeting of the mechanism took place in New Delhi in 1991 and it is Nepal’s turn now to host the summit.
Diplomatic sources told the Post that water resources, energy cooperation, trade and transit, economic cooperation, boundary and border management and political and security issues are identified as macro agenda for the joint commission.
During the meeting, the Nepali side is likely to seek Indian assistance to complete one section of the Mid-hills Highway, one fully Indian government-funded hydro project and construction of a bride over the Mahakali river.
The two sides are also learnt to be interested in completing negotiations for the long-awaited Pancheshwor Development Authority—a key element of the Mahakali Treaty, bilateral power trading agreement and the issue of inundation.
The Indian side has given a positive signal to increase the line of credit to Nepal and annual bilateral aid. “With India appearing positive to increase aid to Nepal, we will officially ask the neighbour for it,” said the official.
Swaraj’s visit will prepare for the signing of some agreements possibly on energy cooperation and road expansion during Modi’s visit, said an official. Besides Indian private investment in energy, the Nepali side is seeking Indian government’s direct investment in the sector, said the official. At the meeting of the mechanism attended by the two foreign ministers on July 26 and 27, the two sides will devise a future course for bilateral cooperation.
Swaraj will call on President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, among other leaders.
Key agendas
- Water resource
- Energy cooperation
- Trade and transit
-Economic cooperation and increment in Indian aid, line of credit
- Boundary, border management
- Political and security issues
(ekantipur-Anil Giri)
