Kathmandu, September 30
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has said Prime Minister Balendra Shah will make a result-oriented visit to India at an appropriate time, although no formal date has been fixed yet.
Speaking to reporters at Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday after returning from the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Khanal said India had formally invited Shah soon after the new government was formed.
“We have been saying from the beginning that the Prime Minister received an invitation as soon as the government was formed, and we took it positively,” Khanal said. “We are preparing for a result-oriented visit at an appropriate opportunity.”
Asked about the timing of the visit, Khanal said no date had been finalised so far.
“As of today, it is not certain when the visit will take place. But both sides expect and want the visit to be as fruitful and result-oriented as possible,” he said.
Khanal also said Prime Minister Shah’s address to the 81st UN General Assembly had attracted significant attention from the international community.
He said there had been considerable international interest in how Nepal’s youngest prime minister following the country’s recent political changes would present Nepal on the global stage.
“After his address, headlines around the world were about his speech,” Khanal said. “The video of the Prime Minister’s address is also the most-watched speech from this year’s UN General Assembly. This clearly shows the level of interest around the world.”
Khanal said foreign representatives and diplomats had openly praised Shah’s address during various formal and informal meetings in New York following the speech.
According to the foreign minister, the international community also expressed strong solidarity with the issues and concerns raised by Shah at the global forum.
Khanal further said the international community had shown strong interest in supporting Nepal’s reconstruction efforts following the Bhotekoshi floods and in helping the country address the climate crisis.
