Balendra Shah to Begin Three‑Day Official Visit to India on Nov 22

Balendra Shah, Nepal’s prime minister, will travel to India for a three‑day official visit beginning on 22 November, officials said. The trip was confirmed after Shah met Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Kathmandu on Thursday, where Misri relayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation. Earlier in his tenure Shah had ruled out any overseas travel for the first year, making the decision a reversal of that stance. Shah said he hopes the visit will produce concrete results, and thanked Modi for India’s quick aid after the flash floods that hit Nepal in August. Misri briefed Shah on the regular bilateral talks that cover water resources, energy, trade, transit and aviation, and highlighted progress in these areas. A joint statement issued after Misri’s two‑day stay said the foreign secretary discussed possible initiatives and outcomes linked to the upcoming visit. During his visit Misri also met Nepal’s finance minister Swarnim Wagle, foreign affairs minister Shisir Khanal, energy, water resources and irrigation minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, and infrastructure development minister Sunil Lamsal. He held delegation‑level talks with his Nepalese counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai, reviewing cooperation across the same sectors and looking for ways to deepen the partnership. In addition, Misri interacted with parliamentarians from the India‑Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group and Nepal’s Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Tourism.

Context

India and Nepal share long borders and depend on each other for water flow, trade routes and energy links, making regular high‑level talks a key part of their relationship.