Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah to visit India when Shah assumed office.
Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Jaiswal said that bilateral issues were discussed during a meeting between PM Shah and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava.
Asked about the date of PM Shah’s visit to India, Jaiswal said that he would provide an update once he had the relevant information.
During the press briefing, Indian journalists asked Jaiswal about the Indian ambassador’s meeting with Nepal’s prime minister, whether Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar would visit Nepal, remarks by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal that the government does not know whether Nepal possesses the original copy of the Sugauli Treaty, and the participation of prime ministers from Nepal and other countries at the upcoming BRICS summit.
However, Jaiswal did not provide clear answers to those questions.
He said that India was preparing to invite leaders of regional organizations during the BRICS summit.
“We have invited many leaders from regional groupings,” Jaiswal said. “We will continue to provide further updates on this matter.”
Jaiswal also said that Nepal and India maintain good relations even though the two countries do not agree on certain issues.
“Even though there is no agreement on some issues, there are mechanisms for bilateral dialogue on any matter,” Jaiswal said. “Relations between Nepal and India are good.”
