Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is arriving in Kathmandu on Sunday on a two-day official visit in connection with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s India visit scheduled to kick off on September 16.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday announced Misri’s visit to Kathmandu without mentioning the objectives.

Earlier, ahead of the visit by the Nepali prime minister to India, Nepal usually sent its foreign minister or foreign secretary to lay the groundwork such as making logistical arrangements.

But this time, India is sending its foreign secretary to Kathmandu to extend an invitation and to lay the ground for the Nepali prime minister’s India visit. Officials view this as a sign of improving ties between Kathmandu and New Delhi after a series of negotiations and backchannel diplomacy.

At the invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri of India will arrive in Kathmandu on August 17 for a two-day official visit, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The two foreign secretaries will discuss various aspects of Nepal-India partnership, with a focus on connectivity, development cooperation and other matters of mutual interest, the statement read. Misri is also scheduled to call on high-level dignitaries of Nepal.

This is Misri’s second visit to Nepal since he assumed office in July last year. He had visited Kathmandu in August last year on a familiarisation trip.

In their separate statements on Saturday, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor India’s Ministry of External Affairs related Misri’s visit to Kathmandu to the upcoming India visit of Prime Minister Oli.

India and Nepal share strong and friendly ties which have seen concrete progress in recent years in diverse areas of cooperation, India’s Ministry of External Affairs noted. “India attaches high priority to its relations with Nepal under its Neighbourhood First policy,” it said.

The foreign secretary’s visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and will be an opportunity to further advance bilateral ties, according to the Indian statement.

Misri will call on the Prime Minister Oli and formally hand over the invitation extended by Oli’s Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Mishri will also discuss possible agendas of the visit, both substantive and logistics.

Similarly, Misri will call on Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, among other leaders. Foreign Secretary Rai and Misri will hold delegation-level talks to discuss the agenda for the prime ministerial visit.

Rai will host a dinner for Misri and the Indian delegation. Separately, the two foreign secretaries will discuss substantive as well as logistical sides of the visit.

In a break from tradition, Oli this time is not visiting the Indian capital, New Delhi. According to multiple sources, Modi is hosting Oli in the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya.

Home to the sacred and historic Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya is considered among the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. Gautam Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya.

As there is no direct flight between Kathmandu and Bodh Gaya, the prime minister and his small delegation could directly fly there from Kathmandu on a Nepal Army Sky Truck, according to sources at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Other members of the delegation will reach Bodh Gaya either through a land route or they will first fly to New Delhi.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Bihar, state governor Arif Mohammed Khan and a minister of state for external affairs will welcome Oli at the Gaya International Airport.

On September 17, Oli and Modi will hold delegation-level talks, followed by lunch and a joint press conference at an international centre in Bodh Gaya.

Oli is scheduled to visit the historic Nalanda University and address a special gathering there.

The address may be on September 17 or 18, said sources at multiple government offices. There are also talks of Oli being conferred DLitt, the Doctor of Letters degree.

If not the doctorate, Oli might be given a prestigious award at the university, officials familiar with the visit preparations said.

Such issues will be discussed at Misri’s meetings in Kathmandu, a foreign ministry official said. “These are among the proposals on the table.”