Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval on Saturday. The sides discussed connectivity, energy and development cooperation.
The meeting welcomed the completion of internal processes for the India-Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters. The pact will help tackle cross-border crimes. Jaishankar said there are strong complementarities between the two governments and an opportunity to decisively shift the trajectory of ties. Khanal described India as Nepal’s most important partner and expressed resolve to build a transformative relationship. The ministers handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects. They also launched the peer-to-peer linkage between India’s UPI and Nepal’s NPI. Khanal arrived in Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit. It is the first official visit since the new government assumed office in March.