Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Lamsal Meets with India’s PM Modi

Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal of Nepal, along with Ministers and Heads of Delegations from BIMSTEC Member States, convened with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today at his office in New Delhi. The meeting, part of the Second BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, focused on bolstering regional cooperation across multiple sectors.

Prime Minister Modi underscored BIMSTEC’s pivotal role in fostering economic and social progress in the region, emphasizing connectivity, energy, trade, health, agriculture, science, security, and people-to-people exchanges. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to a peaceful and prosperous BIMSTEC region, aligning with India’s Neighbourhood First, Look East Policies, and SAGAR vision.

Foreign Secretary Lamsal reiterated Nepal’s steadfast commitment to advancing the BIMSTEC agenda, advocating for intensified collaboration among member states to achieve shared goals of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Bay of Bengal region. She emphasized Nepal’s ‘whole of the region’ approach to enhance institutional frameworks within BIMSTEC for mutual benefits.

During her visit, Lamsal also engaged in bilateral discussions with Indian Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, and India’s Foreign Secretary-designate Vikram Misri. These discussions focused on strengthening cordial bilateral relations and fostering regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC forum.

The meetings concluded with a shared commitment to harnessing the synergies between South Asia and Southeast Asia, addressing common challenges such as climate change, health crises, natural disasters, and transnational crime for the collective benefit of the region.