PM Modi to visit Nepal to strengthen bilateral relations: Foreign Ministry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Nepal visit will contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the age-old socio-cultural bonds between the two countries.

Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddh, on May 16 on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Modi is visiting the neighbouring country at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.

In Lumbini, the two Prime Ministers will hold bilateral talks and exchange views on Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

''The upcoming visit of the Prime Minister Modi will contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the age-old socio-cultural bonds between the two countries,'' the statement said.

Prime Minister Deuba will host a luncheon in honour of his Indian counterpart and members of the visiting delegation.

Prime Minister Modi and Deuba will participate in a prayer at the sacred Mayadevi Temple, lay the foundation stone for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage at the Monastic Zone in Lumbini, and address a special ceremony being organised on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini, the Foreign Ministry said.

Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka will call on Prime Minister Modi on the occasion. This will be the fifth visit of Modi to Nepal as the Prime Minister of India. Deuba was in Delhi last month on his first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister for the fifth time in July 2021.

During the visit, which was aimed at injecting fresh momentum into bilateral ties, Deuba held talks with Modi on a number of key issues, including the boundary issue. Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Himalayan nation relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.