Nepal foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba begins 5-day visit to India

Rana is visiting India at the invitation of Jaishankar, the foreign ministry said in a statement. This is Rana's first official visit to a foreign country after assuming charge.

Kathmandu: Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit with an aim to carry out a comprehensive review of the bilateral ties.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Deuba's visit is a testament to the "unique and close" relationship between the two countries.

"Warm welcome to FM @Arzuranadeuba of Nepal as she arrives in New Delhi on an official visit," he posted on 'X'.

"The visit continues the tradition of regular high-level bilateral exchanges and is a testament to the unique & close relationship between the two countries," Jaiswal said.

Deuba is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.

The Nepalese foreign minister's visit comes a week after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Kathmandu.

Nepal is an important neighbour for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship between the two sides.

The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states -- Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.

Earlier, the foreign ministry said in a statement that Rana was visiting India at the invitation of Jaishankar. This is Rana's first official visit to a foreign country after assuming charge.

"During the visit, Foreign Minister Rana will hold a bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Jaishankar and discuss matters of mutual interest for strengthening Nepal-India relations and promoting cooperation," the statement said.

"Nepal is a priority partner of India in its Neighbourhood First policy. The forthcoming visit will provide both sides an opportunity to discuss and review the progress in bilateral cooperation and help in advancing our ties further," the Ministry of External Affairs' statement added.

The visit of Rana, who is also the spouse of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, comes after the Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Thursday endorsed the India-visit programme of a delegation led by the Foreign Minister, Communications and Information Technology minister Prithvi Subba Gurung had earlier said.

Rana, 62, will also have her health checkup in Delhi during the visit, according to foreign ministry sources. She is scheduled to return to Nepal on August 22.