Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a two-day official visit. He was received by Nepal’s Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay.

Mahara is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on Monday evening. Soon after his appointment as the foreign minister, External Affairs Minister Swaraj had extended an invitation to Mahara.

There are broadly two objectives of Mahara’s visit to Delhi. The first is holding talks with India on a wide range of bilateral issues. 

The talks will be focused on laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit which is likely to take place in the third week of July. This is Mahara’s first foreign trip after the formation of the government led by Nepali Congress President Deuba.

Another agenda is seeking support of India and other countries for Nepal’s candidacy in the UN Human Rights Council in an election slated for November. Mahara is meeting separately with more than five dozen Delhi-based ambassadors accredited for Kathmandu to garner support for Nepal’s candidature. The DPM is meeting the ambassadors on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon.

Unlike previous foreign ministers, Mahara will be staying at the Nepali Embassy in the Indian capital. During other official visits, Nepal’s ministers mostly stayed at a hotel arranged by the Indian side.