Indian FM Krishna arriving Wednesday
KATHMANDU, APR 17 -
The much-awaited visit of Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to Kathmandu is slated for Wednesday.
His three-day visit will see a couple of high-level political engagements here which will give enough opportunity to both sides to understand respective points of view on recent political logjams and fresh Indian perspectives on Nepal’s political situation, said officials.
The timing of the visit is important as parties in Nepal are sharply divided over the peace and constitution roadmap and PM Khanal is struggling to expand his Cabinet. The grapevine has it that Krishna will be meeting senior UCPN (Maoist) leaders as he did last year, but this is yet to be formally announced.
In the absence of a designated foreign minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari will lead the Nepali delegation and hold bilateral talks the day Krishna arrives.
According to officials, Krishna will start a whirlwind series of political meetings including those with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and senior leaders of major political parties.
Krishna’s visit to Kathmandu is expected to pave the way for PM Khanal’s planned New Delhi visit where the Nepali side has been expecting a formal invitation from Khanal’s Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
As per plan, PM Khanal is slated to visit New Delhi before he departs to Istanbul, Turkey, in the second week of May. A team of his aides, including Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai, has been working “quietly but in full force” on his scheduled India visit.
As formal announcement of the upcoming visit will be made on Monday by both sides, officials privy to developments told the Post that the Indian side has proposed the date of Krishna’s visit beginning from April 20.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood had met Foreign Secretary Bhattarai on Friday and discussed the dates and other arrangements of Krishna’s proposed three-day visit. This will be the first highest level visit from India following the formation of Khanal’s government on Feb. 3.
Source: Kantipur
The much-awaited visit of Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to Kathmandu is slated for Wednesday.
His three-day visit will see a couple of high-level political engagements here which will give enough opportunity to both sides to understand respective points of view on recent political logjams and fresh Indian perspectives on Nepal’s political situation, said officials.
The timing of the visit is important as parties in Nepal are sharply divided over the peace and constitution roadmap and PM Khanal is struggling to expand his Cabinet. The grapevine has it that Krishna will be meeting senior UCPN (Maoist) leaders as he did last year, but this is yet to be formally announced.
In the absence of a designated foreign minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari will lead the Nepali delegation and hold bilateral talks the day Krishna arrives.
According to officials, Krishna will start a whirlwind series of political meetings including those with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and senior leaders of major political parties.
Krishna’s visit to Kathmandu is expected to pave the way for PM Khanal’s planned New Delhi visit where the Nepali side has been expecting a formal invitation from Khanal’s Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
As per plan, PM Khanal is slated to visit New Delhi before he departs to Istanbul, Turkey, in the second week of May. A team of his aides, including Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai, has been working “quietly but in full force” on his scheduled India visit.
As formal announcement of the upcoming visit will be made on Monday by both sides, officials privy to developments told the Post that the Indian side has proposed the date of Krishna’s visit beginning from April 20.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood had met Foreign Secretary Bhattarai on Friday and discussed the dates and other arrangements of Krishna’s proposed three-day visit. This will be the first highest level visit from India following the formation of Khanal’s government on Feb. 3.
Source: Kantipur
