External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to Kathmandu starting January 4, during which he will co-chair the 7th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission with his counterpart NP Saud.
During his visit, Jaishankar will also call on the leadership of Nepal and meet prominent political figures, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Established in 1987, the India-Nepal Joint Commission provides a platform for both ministers to review all aspects of the bilateral partnership.
” External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will visit Kathmandu from 04-05 January 2024 on the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Nepal, N.P. Saud for co-chairing the 7th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission,” the MEA said.
Nepal is a priority partner of India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. “The visit is in keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between two close and friendly neighbours,” the foreign ministry statement read.
India and Nepal share unique ties of friendship and cooperation characterised by an open border and deep-rooted people-to-people contacts of kinship and culture. The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special ties that exist between the two nations.
On December 22, Nepal’s Ambassador to India Shankar Prasad Sharma said that the two countries are working to establish a sister city relationship between Janakpur and Ayodhya.
He further said the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi was glad to receive Janakpur Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah and other dignitaries to participate in a program organised by the Chamber of India.
“Glad to receive Mayor Manoj Kumar Sah and other dignitaries from Janakpur Dham at @EONIndia. They were here to participate in a program organised by the Incredible Chamber of India. & are also working to establish sister city relationships between Janakpur and Ayodya,” the Nepalese Ambassador posted on X.
On December 8 last year, the Embassy of India in Nepal, in collaboration with Lumbini Development Trust and Lumbini Buddhist University, organised the inaugural India-Nepal Cultural Festival in Lumbini.
“The festival showcased the rich cultural heritage and traditions of India and Nepal, with a focus on Buddhism. The festival featured a Sand Mandala Drawing Art Exhibition prepared by monk artists from Hemis Monastery in Ladakh, India, a photo exhibition based on the photographs of renowned photographer Benoy Behl, a street food festival featuring Indian and Nepali cuisines, and a cultural programme,” a release from the Indian Embassy stated.
India’s Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, Nepal’s Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, and Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, jointly inaugurated the festival.
The inauguration ceremony also included the opening of a photo exhibition, which featured a collection of stunning photographs of Buddhist heritage sites. The exhibition provided a comprehensive perspective of the monuments and art heritage of Buddhism, from the earliest times to the present day.
(with inputs from ANI)
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