Kathmandu, Apr 15 (PTI) Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said that Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s visit to India will end only after consultations are held between the ministries of external affairs of the two countries.
Khanal said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent an invitation to Nepalese Prime Minister Balindra Shah “Palin” to visit India.
“It is very normal for there to be high-level visits between the two countries; matters related to history and other details will be finalized only after the two ministries hold consultations,” he said after his return to Nepal on Monday evening, concluding his visit to Mauritius, where he attended the Ninth Indian Ocean Conference.
Khanal added that the date and route of the visit have not been finalized yet.
He added that the government has not yet taken any decision in this regard. He added, “Only after the new government sets its priorities and the two foreign ministries complete their preparations, will a decision be made regarding such a high-level visit.”
Khanal said the issue regarding the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to India was also raised during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mauritius on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference.
He said, “I expressed my view that the high-level visit will take place after the technical mechanisms in the two ministries have completed their tasks.”
He pointed out that there are about 40 such mechanisms between the two countries, and some of these mechanisms are inactive.
Khanal said: “We need to activate these mechanisms, and the visit will not take place until all preparations are completed.”
