Nepal PM Balendra Shah to make 'meaningful' visit to India, date yet to be finalised: Foreign Minister Khanal

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Balendra Shah will make a "meaningful" and "result-oriented" visit to India at an appropriate time, although no date has been finalised, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport after attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Khanal said both Nepal and India want the visit to be "result-oriented”.

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"Nepal and India both sides are waiting for a result-oriented and meaningful visit of Prime Minister Balendra Shah to India," Khanal said.

"Although both sides are positive regarding the visit, the date for the Prime Minister's official visit to India is yet to be fixed," Khanal said in response to a question.

Nepal received an invitation for the Prime Minister's visit to India soon after the formation of the new government, Khanal said, adding that preparations were now under way.

"As we have been saying from the beginning, the prime minister received an invitation as soon as the government was formed, and we took it positively,” Khanal said.

It was decided at the time of the formation of the government that the Prime Minister's visit to both the neighbouring countries would take place on the basis of priorities, and we will clearly put forward our priorities before both countries, he further said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shah, who recently returned from New York, went to the US for his first foreign country visit after the formation of the new government under his leadership.

Khanal also said Shah’s address to the UN General Assembly had attracted considerable international attention.

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Shah addressed the assembly in New York on September 24, highlighting Nepal’s concerns over climate change and the impact of disasters on mountain communities, among other issues.

He put forward before the international community the devastating flood Nepal encountered last month and demanded climate justice for a country whose contribution to climate change is negligible, linking tragedy to climate change and global warming.