By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 15: Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali Thursday reached New Delhi on a three-day visit for the sixth meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission. He is visiting the southern neighbour at the invitation of his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar.
This is the first top-level visit from Nepal to India since the bilateral ties were disturbed after India unilaterally published a map including Nepal’s Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura in its map on November 2, 2019 and developed a road to Lipulek through Nepali territory in May last year. In response, Nepal published a new map including the Kalapani region, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura in its territory.
The JCM will discuss Nepal-India bilateral relations, including trade, transit, energy, boundary, COVID-19 cooperation, infrastructure, connectivity, investment, agriculture, tourism and culture among others, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
His visit happened after the Nepal-India Foreign Secretary Level Meeting that discussed the boundary issues in November last year. The period after November 2020 witnessed multiple high-level visits from India and meeting of Joint Steering Committee on power sector.
Minister Gyawali will meet high level dignitaries of India on Friday and Saturday. He will hold a meeting with Jaishankar on Friday morning and participate in the JCM in the afternoon on the same day.
He is leading a delegation consisting of the ambassador of Nepal to India, Foreign Secretary, Health Secretary, and other senior officials of the government.  It is said that the meeting would be instrumental on procuring the COVID-19 vaccines as well.
Minister Gyawali is scheduled to return to Nepal on Saturday, January16.