Prime Minister Balen Shah to Hold Separate Meetings with Indian and Chinese Ambassadors

Prime Minister Balendra Shah 'Balen' is scheduled to hold separate high level discussions on Monday with the ambassadors of India and China to Nepal. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both official meetings will take place at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar.

As per the scheduled itinerary, Prime Minister Shah will first meet with the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, at 11:00 AM. Following this interaction, he will hold a separate meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal.

The separate sit downs signal a notable shift in the Prime Minister's approach to foreign relations. Upon assuming office on March 27, Shah had initially prioritized group engagements with foreign representatives. On April 7, he held a joint briefing with ambassadors and heads of foreign diplomatic missions based in Nepal, where diplomats extended their congratulations and well wishes for his tenure. At the time, his administration indicated a policy against individual diplomatic meetings.

However, Prime Minister Shah has recently modified his diplomatic engagement framework. Prior to today's meetings, he held a one on one bilateral discussion on July 6 with Masato Kanda, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).