During her three day stay, Swaraj will meet senior political leaders and participate in the third meeting of Nepal-India Joint Commission which is expected to discuss six major areas of cooperation, Rae said during an interaction in the Capital.  

“The objective of the visit is to participate in the meeting of the joint commission where we will discuss the problem faced by both sides,” he said. “It will mark the achievements and explore a way of cooperation. There will be discussions on various bilateral issues, so that we can come up with a clear road map.” Water resources, energy cooperation, trade and transit are believed to be among the agendas for the joint commission.

The visit—the first by Swaraj as the External Affairs Minister of India—will also set the tone for the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal scheduled for August.

Referring to recent controversy over Indian proposal on energy cooperation and trade, Rae said that in a democracy, every issue needs to be discussed on wider perspective. “The Indian proposal is subject to be negotiated. We are ready to amend in any clause of the proposal.”  

UPCN(M) leader Ram Karki said that bilateral relations between Nepal and India bungle sometimes because we cannot separate diplomacy and politics. “One should not forget that politics and diplomacy are two different genres. We are open to discuss with India, but it should be done only after promulgation of the new constitution.” Vice-chairman of CPN-UML Bhim Rawal said any agreement with India should be based on national consensus. “Before reaching any deal with India, we should look for mutual benefits, and equal dividends. But first, Nepal should fulfill its energy requirement. Only then we can negotiate with India,” he said. Former foreign minister Bhek Bahadur Thapa said Nepal should tap opportunities in trade facilitation and investment.