KATHMANDU Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has arrived on a two-day visit to Nepal.

Foreign Secretary Shringla landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) at 10:40 am. Talking to Khabarhub upon his arrival at the airport, Shringla said, “This visit will strengthen bilateral ties between Nepal and India. I will remain remain busy holding meetings with leaders today.” He is scheudled to visit Gorkha tomorrow.

This is the first visit of the Foreign Secretary to Nepal since he assumed the charge.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit is in continuation of the regular exchange of high-level visits between the two friendly neighbors.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said the visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal.

The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two neighbors and the priority India attaches to its relations with Nepal, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in its statement.

Shringla’s visit comes after two back-to-back high-level visits from new Delhi by Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane (November) and Research and Analysis Wing head Samant Goel (October).

During the visit, Shringla will meet his counterpart and other Nepalese dignitaries to discuss the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the MEA said in a statement.

As soon as Shringla lands in Kathmandu, he will hold delegation-level talks with his Nepali counterpart, Bharat Raj Poudyal, during which they will discuss wide-ranging areas of cooperation between Nepal and India.

The Indian Foreign Secretary is also scheduled to call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Oli, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, among others.

He will also hand over COVID-19 related support to the government of Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said that the visit will be an opportunity to further advance bilateral ties.

“India has historical and civilization linkages with Nepal. In recent years, bilateral cooperation has strengthened, with several major infrastructures and cross-border connectivity projects completed with India’s assistance. The visit will be an opportunity to further advance our bilateral ties,” it said.