New Delhi [India], September 17 (ANI): Nepal Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle arrived in the national capital on Thursday. On arrival, he was welcomed by senior officials present at the airport.
According to sources confirmed by ANI, Nepali Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle is embarking on a two-day visit to New Delhi from Thursday to discuss economic cooperation for reconstruction following the devastating floods in Nepal.
“The Finance Minister will be visiting India on 17 and 18 September. He will be having discussions with his Indian counterpart and other senior officials during the two-day visit,” a source from the Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to ANI.
During the visit, Wagle will be meeting Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with the primary focus on economic cooperation for reconstruction after floods, the source informed ANI.
The visit will be the first high-level trip from Nepal since the devastating floods of August 26 that killed 1,388 people and destroyed property worth around USD 4.75 billion in three districts.
During the visit, the Nepali Finance Minister will also hold meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, the source from the MoFA said.
Apart from the meetings and call-on during the visit, the Nepali Finance Minister will also address an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and deliver a lecture at the Delhi School of Economics.
His arrival comes as Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Wednesday reflected on his diplomatic assignment after paying back-to-back farewell visits to Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar.
During his meeting with the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Srivastava expressed his gratitude towards the Nepal Government and thanked Minister Khanal for his continued support in boosting bilateral ties.
In a post on X, Ambassador Srivastava said, "Honoured to call on Hon. Foreign Minister Mr Shisir Khanal for a farewell meeting. Conveyed appreciation for his continued support for strengthening multifaceted ties."
"Recalled that in the last few years significant progress had been achieved in deepening our partnership across all areas including energy, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people linkages," he added.
During his meeting with Ambassador Srivastava, Foreign Minister Khanal congratulated the Indian diplomat on the "successful completion of his tenure," while appreciating his efforts toward "further deepening multifaceted ties" between the two nations.
The arrival and departure come against the backdrop of the ongoing rescue and relief operations by joint Indian and Nepali teams following the devastating flash floods that hit the nation last month.
Nearly three weeks later, rescue teams working round the clock at the Chilime hydropower tunnel are closer than ever to reaching six people believed to be trapped inside. (ANI)
Nepal Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle arrives in Delhi
