PM Oli urges Indian PM Modi to visit Nepal again

Kathmandu, September 23 — Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Nepal again. This request was made during a sideline meeting at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

After the request, an official who attended the meeting stated that Prime Minister Modi expressed his intention to visit Nepal soon. Following the meeting, Nepal's Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana shared with Nepali media in the U.S. that discussions with Prime Minister Modi about a visit to Nepal took place.

Prime Minister Modi described his meeting with Prime Minister Oli as positive, emphasizing that the friendship between Nepal and India is strong and that he wishes to further enhance it. On social media, Modi noted that the discussions focused on topics like energy, technology, and trade.

However, before his trip to the U.S., Prime Minister Oli did not raise issues related to the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) or border disputes. An official who attended the meeting remarked, “Such sideline discussions at the UN General Assembly do not typically cover these issues. The conversation focused on the relationship, trade, and connectivity between the two countries, discussing ways to activate various agreements.”

The official indicated that these high-level meetings would continue and that an environment for mutual visits by the two prime ministers is being prepared.

This is Prime Minister Oli’s third meeting with Prime Minister Modi, having met him twice during previous visits to India when he served as prime minister. He also visited India briefly during his short tenure as prime minister.

This sideline meeting was initially scheduled to occur during the sixth BIMSTEC summit in Thailand but was postponed due to political circumstances there, preventing the meeting from taking place.

The meeting in the U.S. was finalized at the last minute. It is expected to improve relations between the two countries and the connection between Oli and Modi. High-level visits between the two nations are anticipated soon.