Nepal Prime Minister Balendra “Balen" Shah may make his first foreign visit to India since taking office in March, with the trip likely to take place before the end of the year, Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said on Thursday.
Speaking at a summit in Kathmandu, Wagle said dates for the visit were still being worked out but expressed confidence that India would be Shah’s first foreign destination.
“We’ve begun to discuss the Prime Minister’s visits abroad. I am pretty confident that his first visit abroad will be to India, and the dates will need to be worked out, but I am very hopeful that this will happen before the end of the year," Wagle said.
The statement comes as Nepal continues to deal with the aftermath of devastating flash floods that have killed at least 389 people and left thousands missing along the Nepal-Tibet border. Rescue teams are still searching for survivors after torrents of water, mud and debris swept through villages, roads and bridges.
India was the first country to send emergency relief to flood-hit Nepal, delivering an initial 10 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief supplies through a C-130J aircraft. It later airlifted another 37.5 tonnes, taking the total assistance to 47.5 tonnes.
Shah had thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s support. In a post on X on Wednesday, Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office said Kathmandu “deeply appreciates" Modi’s “warm words of solidarity" and “generous offer of assistance".
“This gesture of solidarity is a reflection of the enduring bonds of friendship between our two countries, which we profoundly value," Shah said.
Prime Minister Modi had earlier said he spoke with Shah and conveyed his condolences over the loss of lives, adding that India was ready to provide “all possible humanitarian assistance". He said Indian and Nepali teams were coordinating rescue and relief efforts.
