Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrapped up his two-day official visit to Nepal on Monday. Misri had arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. That same day, he called on President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba at their respective offices.

Misri also held talks with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Vice President of Rastriya Swatantra Party Swarnim Wagle, and leaders of the Madhesh-based parties, among others. He held delegation level talks with Rai and discussed the potential agendas of the prime minister’s India visit.

The Foreign Secretary of India handed over the formal invitation of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Oli for an official visit to India at a mutually convenient date, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday after Misri wrapped up his Nepal visit.

“The Foreign Secretary of Nepal and the Foreign Secretary of India held extensive discussions on matters of physical connectivity, energy cooperation, digital connectivity and various aspects of development cooperation with a focus on maximising possible deliverables for the upcoming visit of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal to India,” read the foreign ministry statement. In the delegation level talks, both foreign secretaries apprised each other of the potential agendas for the prime minister’s India visit that is expected to begin from September 16. Breaking the usual tradition of hosting the Nepali prime minister in New Delhi, this time, India is hosting Oli in Bodh Gaya, a revered and respected Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Bihar state, which shares a long border with Nepal.

Officials said that the prime minister and his small entourage will fly from Kathmandu to Gaya International Airport on September 16. Both sides are planning to hold delegation level talks, luncheon meetings between Oli and Modi and a joint press conference at the International Convention Centre in Bodh Gaya. Oli will visit Nalanda University, the first residential university in the world which is constituted under the aegis of Ministry of External Affairs, India. During the meeting with Misri, Foreign Minister Rana also raised some issues that Nepal wants to discuss during the prime minister’s visit, said one foreign ministry official. Rai and Misri also briefly exchanged the possible agendas and areas of cooperation and partnerships; instruments and agreements to be signed during the visit; and discussed the paperwork that details some projects to be funded by the government of India.

Misri also held talks with some party leaders and took stock of the latest political situation in Nepal. During the meeting with the President, prime minister and foreign minister, Misri conveyed to them greetings from the leadership in India and briefed them on the progress being made in various aspects of the “mutually-beneficial bilateral cooperation” between the two countries.

The Indian statement confirmed that Misri had handed over a formal invitation on behalf of Modi to Prime Minister Oli to visit India on mutually convenient dates.

On meeting between Rai and Misri, the statement said that the two foreign secretaries held wide-ranging discussions, reviewed the progress made in various bilateral initiatives and discussed opportunities for further collaboration including possible outcomes that could form a part of the agenda of PM Oli’s forthcoming visit to India.

Misri also met the Chief of Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel and handed over defence stores and equipment including Light Strike Vehicles (LSVs), critical care medical equipment and military animals to the Nepali Army on Monday.

“During the various engagements, both sides noted with satisfaction the concrete progress in recent years in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation, including physical connectivity, digital connectivity, defence and security and energy cooperation,” the statement said.

Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First policy, the statement added. “The Foreign Secretary’s visit continued the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and helped in advancing our bilateral ties further.”