Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will arrive in Kathmandu on Thursday for a two-day visit, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs informed issuing a press statement Monday evening.
The ministry has called Swaraj's visit continuity of the tradition of regular high-level political exchanges between the two countries, and says it reflects the expanding bilateral partnership and the importance that the two countries attach to further strengthening it across diverse sectors.
"The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to hold discussions with political leaders of Nepal on issues of mutual interest, and to advance age-old, special ties of friendship between India and Nepal," the statement adds.
Foreign Ministry yet to be informed
The Foreign Ministry is yet to be formally informed two days before Swaraj's visit even as the Indian ministry has already issued a statement to that regard.
"We had heard Monday that she can arrive. We don't know anything about the time she will arrive and what she will do," Chief of Protocol at the ministry Deepak Adhikari said. "Official information about her visit may only come on Wednesday as today is public holiday."
Swaraj had last visited Nepal in August 2017 for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial summit.
This is the first high-level visit by a high-level Indian leader after the election of federal parliament and provincial assemblies in Nepal.
Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has already phoned CPN-UML Chairman to congratulate him as the future PM.
