President Bidya Devi Bhandari held a meeting with visiting President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, at her official residence in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu on Wednesday. 

In the meeting, President Bhandari and her Indian counterpart held discussions on the centuries-old Nepal-India relations and various matters of mutual interest and concern, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed. 

The Presidents of the two countries discussed ways to further strengthen the historic, cultural, social and people-to-people relations between Nepal and India in the meeting. 

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bharat Raj Poudyal said that the talks between the President duo was focused on mutual interests. "The President of India congratulated President Bhandari, the Nepali people and the Constituent Assembly on the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal," Poudyal added. 

Present during the meeting were Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, advisors to the President and Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shanker Das Bairagi. 

Also present on the occasion were the Minister of State for Defence of India Subhash Bhamre, lawmakers L Ganesan, Jagdambika Pal, Raj Kumar Singh and Bhubaneswar Kalita, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae. 

The Indian President arrived here today on a three-day state visit to Nepal at the invitation of President Bhandari. 

Before going into the bilateral meeting, President Bhandari welcomed her Indian counterpart in her office chamber. Earlier, a contingent of the Nepalese Army played the welcome music. 

The Indian President's visit is taking place after 18 years. Before this, the then President of India KR Narayanan had paid a state visit on 28 May 1998.