Foreign Minister Arzu Rana is set to visit India from August 18-21, on her first official trip after taking office.

The visit by the foreign minister comes a week after new Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri concluded a two–day familiarisation visit to Nepal just this week.

During her time in India, according to the foreign ministry officials, Rana will hold talks with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and other officials and discuss several issues of mutual interests.

Separate requests have been sent for meetings with Indian President

Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with confirmation still pending, according to foreign ministry officials privy to the visit preparations.

She will also meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

“We are waiting for confirmation for both the meetings as Prime Minister KP Oli is keen to host Indian Prime Minister Modi in Nepal,” an official said.

“It is the Indian prime minister's turn to visit Nepal, so our focus would be on making that visit happen,” the official said.

Rana was planning to visit Delhi for a routine health checkup, but after India expressed interest in turning it into an official visit, she received an invitation from her Indian counterpart, Jaishankar, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Rana and Jaishankar are scheduled to meet in New Delhi on Monday to discuss issues from the seventh joint commission meeting in Kathmandu earlier this year, according to the officials.

The Joint Commission meeting reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations and areas of cooperation including connectivity, infrastructure development, economic partnership, trade, transit, investment, power, water resources, culture, tourism, sports, health and education.

During her meeting with Misri on Monday, Rana requested additional air routes to Nepal to increase air connectivity between Nepal and India, setting up a sophisticated laboratory at the Nepal-India border to test the quality of the vegetables and fruits imported from India for pesticides, expediting the negotiations for the finalisation of the detailed project report of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project that remains in limbo for years. They also discussed issues such as discharging the water from the Tanakpur canal, river training in the Banganga, Khado, and Rapti rivers with Indian assistance, and the inauguration of the suspension bridge in Darchula linking Nepal and India, according to the foreign ministry statement.

The upcoming visit is expected to focus on discussing matters of mutual interest rather than signing understandings or agreements, a joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Post.