Nepal PM Balendra Shah likely to visit India in late November

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah is expected to visit India in late November and foreign secretary Vikram Misri is set to travel to Kathmandu next week as part of preparations for the Nepalese leader's first bilateral foreign trip, persons aware of the matter said on Saturday.

The rapper-turned-politician has shied away from foreign trips since he became PM in March and made his only multilateral foreign visit in September to New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Shah, who is known for his unconventional ways of functioning, is expected to visit India around November 22, the people said on condition of anonymity.

India's ambassador-designate to Nepal, senior career diplomat Sudhakar Dalela, is set to arrive in Kathmandu early next week, and this will be followed by Misri's visit to Nepal on November 4 as part of preparations for Shah's visit, the people said. Besides firming up the agenda for Shah's visit, Misri is expected to review bilateral ties during meetings with senior Nepalese officials.

With Nepal's ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) calling for a reset in bilateral ties, the two sides are expected to focus on ways to take forward trade and economic ties, air, land and digital connectivity, improved border security and management, employment and educational opportunities and the implementation of existing bilateral agreements. Shah's visit will also be an opportunity for him to get to know India's top leadership, the people said.

Misri was earlier scheduled to visit Nepal in May but the trip was put off, reportedly because Shah did not agree to a meeting with the foreign secretary. This was followed by back-to-back visits in early June by RSP leader Rabi Lamichhane -- the first senior politician from the neighbouring country to travel to India after the change of government in Kathmandu -- and foreign minister Shisir Khanal. Nepal's finance minister Swarnim Wagle and home minister Sudan Gurung have also visited India in recent months.

Khanal told reporters in New Delhi that his government intends to shift India-Nepal relations "away from geopolitical friction" and root them in development diplomacy. The bilateral partnership should not be "constrained by the anxieties of the past" and should instead be driven by the prospects of a shared future, he said.

Khanal's visit was preceded by a row over the border regions of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani, which Nepal has long claimed, and Shah's remarks that appeared to hint at a role for China and the UK in settling the dispute. India ruled out any role for third parties, and Khanal said Nepal wants to handle border disputes through existing mechanisms.

The people said Shah's planned visit could see forward movement on several India-backed development projects and the announcement of new assistance to support Nepal's economy and reconstruction efforts following this year's devastating flash floods.