Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar’s arrives in Kathmandu

In a pivotal diplomatic engagement, India’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, has touched down in Kathmandu to partake in the ‘Seventh Nepal-India Foreign Ministerial Joint Commission Meeting.’ The distinguished guest arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at 9:31 am aboard the Indian Air Force special plane IFC 3 ONE.

Welcomed by Nepalese Foreign Minister NP Saud, the city has bolstered security measures to ensure the safety of the visiting dignitary.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar’s itinerary includes a visit to Sheetal Niwas to meet President Ramchandra Paudel at 11 am, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Prachanda at Baluwatar at noon. Subsequently, at 1:15 pm, he will meet Foreign Minister Saud at Hotel Yak & Yati, leading to his participation in the Joint Commission meeting, commencing at 1:15 pm. Notably, a momentous 10,000 MW power purchase agreement between the two nations is scheduled to be signed at 1:45 pm.

Later in the day, the Minister is slated to attend the Yak and Yati Day Dinner program organized by the Ministry of External Affairs at 2 pm. Further diplomatic engagements include meetings with Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at 3:40 pm and UML President KP Sharma Oli at 4:30 pm.

At 6:15 pm, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a dinner at Solti Hotel, where Minister Jaishankar will interact with Nepal’s leaders, MPs, and government officials.

On January 5th, Minister Jaishankar is set to visit Pashupati for darshan at 8 am and inaugurate a library at 9 am. The day will be marked by inspecting ongoing reconstruction work. His visit will conclude with a return to India at 12 noon.

The trip is anticipated to yield significant agreements between the two nations, with a focus on electricity trade. Three major agreements, including advancing the Pancheshwar project in Mahakali, announcing the city DPR, and a monumental pact for India to purchase 10,000 MW of electricity from Nepal over the next decade, are expected to be signed during Minister Jaishankar’s visit. Additionally, India is prepared to augment support for direct operations through the ‘Small Development Project’ (SDP) program of the Indian Embassy.