Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has left for India on Saturday to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit scheduled to be held in Goa on October 16.

He is heading an 18-member delegation to the Outreach Summit that will be preceded by a Retreat Meeting of the leaders of BIMSTEC also convened by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on the same day, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Summit is expected to provide an important occasion to explore areas of partnership between the two dynamic groups of countries.

Prime Minister Dahal will deliver statements at the Retreat and Outreach Summit on October 16. The Retreat of BIMSTEC leaders is likely to discuss matters pertaining to countering terrorism; addressing environment and climate change, disaster management; enhancing connectivity; promoting cooperation in agriculture, energy, trade, technology, tourism, poverty alleviation and people-to-people contact. The Retreat is expected to adopt an outcome document for promoting regional cooperation.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with leaders of the BRICS (a common forum of five emerging countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries on the sidelines of the Summit.

During his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister is likely to request Mr Xi again for Nepal visit, Foreign Minister Dr Mahat briefed the media about it at a press meet organised here on the eve of the Prime Minister's travel to India.

The Prime Minister will have bilateral meetings with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, South African President Jacob Zuma and Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

Prime Minister Dahal is accompanied by his spouse Sita Dahal. Other members of the delegation include Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Tanka Mani Sharma and other senior government officials.

Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi, Ministers, High Ranking government officials, chiefs of security bodies and CPN (Maoist Centre) leaders were present at airport to bid farewell to PM Dahal.

A contingent of Nepal Army had offered a gun salute to the PM before his departure.

He will return home on October 17. RSS