Kathmandu, February 2
Visiting Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj wrapped up her two-day visit to Nepal after attending a luncheon at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar.
Swaraj, who landed in Kathmandu in the capacity of special envoy of Prime Minister Modi, on Thursday, met President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and ahead of the luncheon. During the meeting with Bhandari and Deuba, Swaraj discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral ties, it has been learnt.
EAM Swaraj, who is to return home on Friday afternoon, started her hi-level talks on Thursday by meeting Prime Minister-in-waiting KP Sharma Oli. The UML leader had organised a dinner reception for the visiting Indian minister at a hotel in Kathmandu on Thursday, where she met leaders of various political parties. She also held separate meetings with RJP leaders and Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum’s Upendra Yadav. A meeting between the visiting Indian leader and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took place on Friday morning.
During the course of the ‘good-will’ visit, Swaraj congratulated CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli for his Left Alliance’s victory in the recent provincial and parliamentary elections. India also finally accepted Nepal’s new constitution promulgated in September 2015. Earlier, India, formally and informally, had been stating that the constitution was flawed and needed amendments for its ‘all-side acceptance’. It had imposed a blockade on the border points for around six months after the constitution promulgation.
