Oli and Modi scheduled to meet today at UN General Assembly

Kathmandu, September 22 — Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to meet in the United States. Both leaders, attending the United Nations General Assembly, are set to meet at 5:30 PM local time.

According to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting between the two prime ministers will take place today, although there may be some adjustments to the timing. Significant efforts have been made from Nepal to arrange this side meeting, led by Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba. After extensive efforts, the meeting was finally scheduled on Friday.

This side meeting was initially planned during the sixth BIMSTEC summit in Thailand; however, it was postponed due to the political situation there.

Following this, it was confirmed that the meeting would take place in the U.S., but finding a suitable time from India's side had been challenging. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “It has been difficult to coordinate due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's short visit to the U.S.” Other sources suggested that Modi was reluctant to meet due to recent statements made by Prime Minister Oli regarding India.

Relations between Nepal and India have soured, leading to no formal invitation for a visit to India so far. Instead, Prime Minister Oli has already sent a written invitation for Modi to visit Nepal. However, Modi has not shown any signs of preparing for such a visit.

Given these circumstances, the side meeting between the two prime ministers today holds significant importance. Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 25. He met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday evening local time and he also engaged in other high-level meetings.

Nepal will actively participate in the "Summit of the Future," which began today, with Prime Minister Oli also expected to attend. The summit will discuss the serious challenges facing global governance and potential solutions. Its aim is to enhance cooperation while reaffirming commitments to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the UN Charter.

The theme of this year's UN General Assembly, which commenced on September 11, is “Leave No One Behind: Working Together for Peaceful Progress, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for Current and Future Generations.”