Unveiling Oli’s itinerary: Will his first foreign visit be to the UN or India?

Kathmandu, August 24 - Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s first foreign trip will be to the United States. He is scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in Washington, D.C.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already making preparations for the visit. According to sources, Prime Minister Oli will travel to the U.S. on September 21 or 22, ahead of the General Assembly, which begins on September 23. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that while the trip to the U.S. is confirmed, the exact date of departure has not yet been finalized.

“The Prime Minister will travel on either September 21 or 22,” the official stated. “The date is still being discussed, and a final announcement will be made soon.”

The sixth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit, which was to be held in Thailand, has been postponed. The postponement is due to issues such as the recent changes in Thailand’s Prime Minister, internal conflicts in Bangladesh and Myanmar, and Sri Lanka's ongoing Prime Ministerial election.

Thailand's Prime Minister, Sretha Thavisin, was dismissed by the Constitutional Court on July 30, and Petongtran Shinawatra was appointed as the new Prime Minister the following day. With the BIMSTEC conference in disarray, Prime Minister Oli is preparing for his visit to the U.S. for the UN General Assembly.

Originally, there were plans for sideline talks between Prime Minister Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok, but Modi has since canceled his trip to Thailand for a European tour and will also be attending the UN General Assembly.

It is anticipated that sideline talks between Modi and Oli may occur in the U.S. Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 26.

According to a joint secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this visit is not officially considered Prime Minister Oli's first foreign trip; he is traveling to the U.S. for the UN General Assembly at the UN’s invitation, not an official invitation from the U.S. Therefore, his first official visit will not be to the U.S.

Prime Minister Oli is expected to make his first official visit to India. Although he has received invitations from both India and China, sources suggest that his initial official visit will be to India.

During his first term as Prime Minister in 2008, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' started his first foreign visit with China, leading to dissatisfaction from India. Upon returning, Prachanda clarified that the China visit was unofficial, as it was for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, and that his first official visit would be to India.