Kathmandu: Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal held a press briefing after his official visit to India at Tribhuvan Airport on June 7. He said, “After visiting India through the cordial invitation of His Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, I returned to Kathmandu on 7th June, 2026.”
Minister Khanal stated that the visit, which is a continuation of the regular high-level exchange of visits, has contributed significantly to further strengthen the friendly and multi-faceted bilateral relations between Nepal and India.
During his visit to New Delhi on June 6, a formal meeting was held between the delegation of Nepal led by Minister Khanal and the delegation of India led by Minister Jaishankar. The delegations of both countries had a comprehensive and fruitful discussion on all aspects of Nepal-India bilateral relations.
Substantive discussions were held on issues such as trade and economic cooperation, connectivity, energy sharing, water resource management, and enhancing people-to-people relations including sports. Both sides have expressed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations. Also, views were exchanged on various regional and international issues.
They reviewed the progress of bilateral projects and cooperation initiatives and held important discussions on ways to make them more effective.
During the meeting, Minister Khanal and the delegation made 3 joint announcements:
Minister Khanal also held a discussion with India’s National Security Advisor, Mr. Ajit Doval, and exchanged views on various aspects of the common security interests of Nepal and India, border management and strategic partnership between the two countries.
In the press briefing, Minister Khanal also stated his attendance at the event organized by India Foundation, he said, “During the visit I had the opportunity to address a group of luminaries at a special event organized by India Foundation in New Delhi. In that program, I shed light on Nepal’s foreign policy priorities and interacted with the participants focusing on issues of common interest, including energy, trade, and borders.”
He also visited the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi and directly interacted with the Embassy family about the recent activities of the Embassy and instructed them to commit themselves to protecting the interests of Nepal and Nepali people in India. He also mentioned the media interaction program held at the Embassy premises where he discussed with the media in India and informed them about their priorities.
He said, “I feel that the discussions and high-level meetings held during this visit have taken the diplomatic and economic cooperation between Nepal and India to a new height and have laid a strong foundation for fruitful cooperation in areas of mutual interest in the future. An opportunity has been gained to express our balanced, independent and multilateral foreign policy in a more forceful manner. It has prepared a solid foundation for expanding trade and investment, strengthening energy cooperation, promoting tourism and strengthening connectivity and people-to-people relations. Views were also exchanged on contemporary international issues such as regional stability, supply chain security and energy sharing.”
Minister Khanal concluded his briefing by stating that more details regarding the visit has been conveyed through various means including press statements issued by the Ministry and the Commission, posts on social media X and Facebook.
