PM Modi and his Nepalese counterpart PM Deuba will also hold bilateral meeting in Lumbini
PM Modi and his Nepalese counterpart PM Deuba will also hold bilateral meeting in Lumbini
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nepal on Monday for a short time trip to lumbiniThe birthplace of Gautam Buddha, and also holds extensive talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba to expand bilateral cooperation in several areas, including hydropower, development and connectivity.
“Landed in Nepal. Glad to be among the wonderful people of Nepal on the special occasion of Buddha Purnima. Looking forward to the programs in Lumbini,” Prime Minister Modi said on Twitter. “I would like to thank PM @SherBDeuba for the warm welcome to Lumbini.”
PM Modi is in the Himalayan nation on Deuba’s invitation, is paying for a day Visit of Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, This is the fifth visit of the Prime Minister to Nepal since 2014. PM Modi and his team reached Lumbini from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh in a special Indian Air Force helicopter.
Located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, Lumbini is one of the holiest places in Buddhism, as it is where Lord Buddha was born.
During the visit, he will visit the holy Maya Devi temple and deliver a speech at the Buddha Jayanti celebrations organized by the Lumbini Development Trust.
The visiting Prime Minister will also participate in the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the construction of a center for Buddhist culture and heritage within the Lumbini Monastery area.
Prime Minister Modi and his Nepalese counterpart PM Deuba will also hold a bilateral meeting in Lumbini.
“During the meeting, they will exchange views on Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interest,” according to a statement issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a statement on Sunday, PM Modi said he was looking forward to meeting Nepal’s Prime Minister Deuba again after “productive” discussions during his visit to India last month.
He said the two sides will continue to build common understanding to enhance cooperation in many areas, including hydropower, development and connectivity.
“Our relations with Nepal are unique. The civilizational and people-to-people contacts between India and Nepal are an enduring building of our close ties.
“The purpose of my visit is to celebrate and deepen these time-honored ties spanning centuries,” PM Modi said in his departure statement on Sunday.
On Friday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi’s talks with his Nepalese counterpart Deuba on May 16 in Lumbini, Nepal, will have a broad agenda to take forward cooperation in several areas, including hydropower and connectivity.
According to Indian Embassy sources, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Kwatra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other senior officials will join the Prime Minister’s team.
PM Deuba was in Delhi last month for his first bilateral foreign visit after becoming Prime Minister for the fifth time in July 2021.
During the visit, which aimed to give new impetus to bilateral ties, PM Deuba held talks with PM Modi on several key issues including the border issue.
Nepal is important to India in terms of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “bread-daughter” relationship.
The Himalayan nation shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Nepal heavily depends on India for the transportation of goods and services.