In Nepal on a ‘familiarisation’ visit, new Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a hectic first day in Kathmandu.

He paid a courtesy call on President Ramchandra Paudel on Sunday. During the meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Sheetal Niwas, a number of topics related to bilateral relations and mutual interest were discussed.

During the meeting, President Paudel stated that Nepal and India have to cooperate to minimise the effects of climate change.

“Both countries must work together to reduce the effects of climate change since the safety of mankind depends on the safety of mountains and water,” Kiran Pokharel, the President’s press adviser, told the Post, quoting Paudel.

President Paudel also said that Nepal and India have had a relationship from the time immemorial and acknowledged India’s big contribution to Nepal’s development.

President Paudel mentioned that there is a lot of potential for hydropower development, sustainable and easy energy trade in Nepal.

On the occasion, Indian Foreign Secretary Misri expressed his commitment to working together with Nepal as the issue of reducing the impact of climate change is a challenge for both the countries, says Pokharel.

Quoting Misri, Pokharel further said, “Among the plans of the Nepal government, India would like to work on Nepal’s priorities such as energy, agriculture and tourism.”

The visiting Indian foreign secretary also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday at Singha Durbar. During their meeting various matters of mutual interest were discussed, says the foreign ministry of Nepal.

A source at the Prime Minister’s Office said that during the meeting Prime Minister Oli strongly urged that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should soon visit Nepal. He also extended a formal invitation.

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Modi was expected to come to Nepal on one of the Mondays of Shawan to pay homage to Lord Pashupatinath. But that window closes in five days.

During his first and second tenures, Indian Prime Minister Modi visited Nepal five times in total. After the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition got the majority in the 14th Lok Sabha election in June, Modi was appointed the prime minister of India for the third time.

While Modi first became the prime minister in 2014, Oli became the prime minister of Nepal in 2015. During the second tenure of Modi, which started in 2019, Oli was against the prime minister, following the 2017 elections. Relations between the two countries are at present considered to be at a low, according to experts.

Earlier in 2018, Indian Prime Minister Modi had visited Nepal at the invitation of Oli the prime minister.

This is a familiarisation visit of Secretary Misri, said spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Kathmandu Amrit Rai. “Therefore, no issues other than those of bilateral interest were discussed.”

However, Rai refused to categorically mention the issues of mutual interest.

Oli, who became prime minister on July 12, will be in Thailand as his first foreign trip after being appointed the prime minister. He is scheduled to attend the sixth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) starting September 4.

Nepal and Thailand are also working to make Prime Minister Oli’s visit bilateral.

After Thailand, Prime Minister Oli will take part in the 79th session of the United National General Assembly in September.

The Prime Minister’s Office claimed that both India and China had invited Prime Minister Oli.

Indian Foreign Secretary Misri, apart from President Paudel and Prime Minister Oli, also met Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at his residence in Budhanilkantha. Among other things, they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, according to a press release issued after the meeting.

Also on Sunday Misri also paid a courtesy call on CPN (Maoist Centre) chair and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. During the meeting both sides discussed issues of mutual interest, said Dahal’s personal secretary Ramesh Malla.

“Since it was an introductory visit, the discussion was casual,” Malla told the Post. The visiting foreign secretary reportedly vowed to work on the agreement reached between the two countries when Dahal was the prime minister.

When Dahal visited India as the prime minister of Nepal in June 2023, India had agreed to import 10,000 MW of hydroelectricity from Nepal.

Indian Secretary Misri came to Kathmandu on a two-day visit at the invitation of Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal.

Misri was welcomed by his Nepali counterpart Lamsal at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Misri took up his new role last month, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who served as Indian ambassador to Nepal from March 2020 to April 2022. Misri undertook his first familiarisation visit, to Bhutan, on July 18.

Foreign ministry officials said that it is customary for new foreign secretaries to tour South Asian countries after assuming office to update themselves and assess bilateral relations.

Before being promoted to Indian foreign secretary, Misri served as deputy national security adviser of India.

The 59-year-old has a distinguished career, having served as private secretary to three prime ministers—Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997, Manmohan Singh in 2012, and Narendra Modi in 2014.

Known as a China expert within the Indian foreign policy establishment, Misri was India’s ambassador to China (2019-2021) and played a key role in India-China negotiations following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes that resulted from the actions of the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh.

Misri also inaugurated the new building of the Nepal Bhasha Parishad in Kathmandu. The building, located in Naradevi, was built with the assistance from India’s post-earthquake reconstruction grant.

After an introductory meeting with Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba on Monday, Misri will return to India.