Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Monday held his first one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and emphasised the need to deepen Nepal's "historic relationship" with India.
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar and covered Nepal-India bilateral ties, mutual interests, development partnership and areas of cooperation, according to the prime minister's secretariat.
Srivastava congratulated Shah and expressed his commitment to further strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
"Honoured to call on Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal (@ShahBalen) this morning. Conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Modi ji (@narendramodi). Had an engaging and productive exchange of views on further deepening robust, multifaceted India-Nepal partnership,” Ambassador Srivastava posted on X.
Shah seeks closer cooperation with India
According to Shah's secretariat, the Nepal Prime Minister stressed the importance of strengthening the country's ties with India and working together in areas of shared interest.
The meeting comes as Shah appears to be changing his earlier approach of avoiding one-on-one meetings with foreign ambassadors and senior visiting officials.
Shah set to meet Chinese, US officials
Shah is scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming on Monday. US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom is expected to meet the Nepal prime minister on Tuesday.
The meetings mark a shift from Shah's earlier position of avoiding individual engagements with foreign representatives.
He had previously declined to meet US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Samir Paul Kapur and US President Donald Trump's special envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor.
A shift from Shah's earlier approach
Shah had already made an exception to his earlier policy when he held a one-on-one meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda, who visited Nepal for three days from July 6.
The Nepal prime minister has also not travelled to either India or China since taking office. Instead, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal undertook back-to-back visits to New Delhi and Beijing in June.
Monday's meeting with Srivastava therefore comes against the backdrop of a broader shift in Shah's engagement with foreign representatives, with separate meetings with Chinese and US officials also scheduled.