India Invites Nepal Prime minister Balen Shah
India on Tuesday confirmed that an invitation has been extended to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah for an official visit, even as there was no information on probable dates for the visit.
Speaking at the bi-weekly media briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs, said, “Invitation has been extended to Nepal PM Balen Shah to visit India.”
Soon after Shah was elected in March this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated him in a post on X, and said that he looks forward “to working closely with you (Shah) to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights”. It is learnt that a formal invite has been sent to the Nepalese PM’s office through diplomatic channels.
Reports had also suggested that Shah was reluctant to meet visiting foreign officials or leaders below the rank of Foreign Minister. However, recent reports have indicated that Shah is poised to meet the Indian ambassador this week in Kathmandu. Even as the MEA has not confirmed it, there have been reports of PM Shah’s political adviser, Kumar Ben, traveling to India to lay the groundwork for his upcoming visit.
