Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reaffirmed India's commitment to strengthening ties with Nepal, describing the Himalayan nation as a priority partner under the country's Neighbourhood First policy during a meeting with Rabi Lamichhane in New Delhi.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
In a post on X following the meeting, Modi said he welcomed and shared Lamichhane's desire to work closely with India for a prosperous future.
"I welcome and fully share his desire to work closely together for a shared and prosperous future. Nepal is a priority partner under our Neighbourhood First policy and we look forward to collaborating with the new government to elevate the special and multifaceted relationship between our two countries to greater heights," the Prime Minister said.
The meeting came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met a Nepalese delegation led by Lamichhane. Shah congratulated the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chief on his party's electoral success and conveyed India's best wishes to the new government.
Also read: Nepal’s ruling RSP chief meets BJP president
According to the Home Minister's Office, both sides expressed their resolve to work together to further strengthen the longstanding ties between India and Nepal.
During his visit, Lamichhane also met Jaishankar. In a social media post, the Nepalese leader described the discussions as constructive and focused on strengthening bilateral relations, development cooperation and multifaceted engagement between the two neighbours.
Jaishankar said the discussions centred on the India-Nepal development partnership and people-to-people ties, which he described as crucial for promoting growth and prosperity.
Lamichhane's visit is part of regular political exchanges between the two countries. The Ministry of External Affairs said India values such interactions as they help deepen the multifaceted partnership that spans government-to-government, people-to-people and cultural relations.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Nepal share a broad-based partnership and that continued engagement contributes to strengthening friendly ties between the two nations.
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