Jaishankar to come to Nepal for JC meeting

 Kathmandu, Jan. 2

External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar is visiting Nepal for two days on 4 and 5 January.

He is coming to Nepal on an official visit to participate at a high-level Nepal-India Joint Commission between the two countries led by the foreign ministers. This mechanism reviews the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Amrit Bahadur Rai, said that the meeting of the bilateral mechanism will discuss on bilateral issues including economic cooperation and commerce.

Jaishankar is leading an Indian delegation at the seventh JC meeting scheduled to be held in Kathmandu. He is coming to Nepal after four years.

Meanwhile, to discuss the upcoming visit of his Indian counterpart and solicit suggestions for the preparation, Foreign Minister NP Saud has held a discussion with former foreign ministers, foreign secretaries and ambassadors to India on Tuesday.

Emphasising that Nepal's relationship with India is important, experts suggested to increase Nepal's exports to India, to expand electricity trade, to strengthen cross-border infrastructure, to emphasize the timely completion of development projects started in the past, and to address issues such as air routes, informed the FM's Secretariat in a statement on Tuesday.

The MoFA source said that the meeting will deliberate on the energy trade and border issues as well. India is Nepal's largest partner with about two thirds of foreign trade happening with it.

Participants of the discussion included former Foreign Minister Dr. Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, former foreign secretaries Madhu Raman Acharya, Arjun Thapa, Durga Bhattarai, Bharat Raj Poudyal, and former ambassadors Durgesh Man Singh.

Meanwhile, FM Saud held a meeting with a joint delegation of Canada-Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce at his office in Singha Durbar on Tuesday where he assured them that the government will leave no stone unturned to facilitate foreign investment in Nepal.

Talking about the upcoming Nepal Investment Summit, he urged them to bring in investment to Nepal.

Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce President Naresh Kumar Chavda said that the Canadian private sector wants to work in Nepal, especially in the fields of agriculture, food, textiles and hydropower.

Canada-Nepal Chamber of Commerce President Bijaya Paudel and Chavda had led their respective delegation to the meeting.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 3 January 2024.