Narendra Modi arrives in Nepal to attend BIMSTEC Summit, focus on bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to participate in the 4th BIMSTEC summit, in Kathmandu on Thursday, Aug 30, 2018.Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to attend the 4th BIMSTEC Summit on the sidelines of which he will hold bilateral meetings with regional leaders, including Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh Hasina. Modi was warmly received by Ishwar Pokhrel, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Nepal, on his arrival at the airport here.

Modi said yesterday that his participation in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in Kathmandu signals India's highest priority to its neighbourhood and a strong commitment to continue deepening ties with the "extended neighbourhood" in South-East Asia.

In a statement before leaving for Nepal for the two-day summit, Modi said he will interact with the leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand on the margins of the summit whose theme is 'Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region'. He is scheduled to meet Sirisena and Hasina today.

"I also look forward to meeting Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli and reviewing the progress we have made in our bilateral ties since my last visit to Nepal in May 2018," he said. Modi said he and Oli will inaugurate the Nepal Bharat Maitri Dharmashala at the Pashupatinath temple complex. The Summit's theme, Modi said, will enable the member-countries to shape a collective response to their common aspirations and challenges.

The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal. The grouping accounts for 22 percent of the global population. The Oli-Modi talks will focus on the progress made following their 2017 visits to each other's nation.

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