Prachanda to visit India on first foreigntrip as Nepal PM soon: Report

Boosting bilateral ties and talks on trade, energy, agriculture, culture and air service will prominently feature in his talks,

PTI, Kathmandu, Feb 15, 2023:  Nepal and India have discussed the possibility of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” visiting New Delhi on his first foreign trip after assuming power in December last year, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Prachanda discussed his intention to visit India during his meeting with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Monday, officials said.

Though the official date of his visit is yet to be announced, boosting bilateral ties and talks on trade, energy, agriculture, culture and air service will prominently feature in his talks, according to the government-run Gorkhapatra newspaper.

Prachanda has previously said that he will travel to India on his first foreign visit. Foreign Secretary Kwatra called on Prime Minister Prachanda and held productive discussions on bilateral issues across various sectors, including economic and development cooperation, the Indian Embassy said on Monday.

India and Nepal share a close partnership that is rooted in age-old civilisational and cultural linkages, characterised by strong people-to-people ties.

The visit by the foreign secretary is in keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between the two countries, the embassy said in a press release.

Meanwhile, aviation experts in Nepal have urged Prachanda to utilise the Gautam Buddha International Airport in eastern Nepal during his visit to India.

Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu used to be the only international airport in Nepal till the Gautam Buddha International Airport was upgraded as an international airport in May 2022.

However, international flights have stopped operations since December last year due to inclement weather and the distance from Kathmandu.

Navigating to Gautam Buddha International Airport, situated nearly 270 km east of Kathmandu, is also a logistical nightmare.

On January 1, Prachanda inaugurated Nepal’s third international airport in western Nepal’s tourist hub of Pokhara built with Chinese assistance.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) officials insist that international air carriers prefer navigating through the more lucrative Tribhuvan International Airport instead.

“It would be easier for Nepal to ask permission from India to use the ILS (Instrumental Landing System) installed in the Gautam Buddha International Airport if Prachanda makes the airport the venue to embark on his upcoming visit to India,” CAAN officials added.