What happened
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Foreign Secretary of India, Shri Vikram Misri, visited Nepal on 04-05 November 2026, at the cordial invitation of the Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai. During the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs states that the Foreign Secretary of India called on the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Balendra Shah, and conveyed greetings from the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of External Affairs records that the Foreign Secretary of India also called on the Finance Minister, Hon. Swarnim Wagle, the Foreign Minister, Hon. Shisir Khanal, the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Hon. Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, and the Minister for Infrastructure Development, Hon. Sunil Lamsal. The two Foreign Secretaries held delegation level talks on 04 November 2026, as noted in the release. The Foreign Secretary of India also interacted with a group of parliamentarians, including members of the India-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group and Nepal's Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Tourism, the Ministry of External Affairs states.
What was agreed or said
The Ministry of External Affairs states that the Foreign Secretary of India highlighted the wide ranging engagement and overall progress in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation, and discussed possible outcomes and initiatives in the context of the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to India. During the delegation level talks, the release states that the two Foreign Secretaries reviewed ongoing cooperation across diverse sectors and discussed ways to further strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership between India and Nepal.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, during various engagements the Nepali leadership expressed gratitude for India's swift and substantial humanitarian and technical assistance in the aftermath of the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi floods. Both sides, as recorded in the release, noted with satisfaction the growing engagement in recent times in traditionally strong areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade and commerce, development partnership, hydropower, physical connectivity, border management, energy, and people to people ties, as well as newer avenues for collaboration including start-ups, digital connectivity, AI and sports. The Ministry of External Affairs states that both sides reaffirmed their commitment to all round enhancement of the bilateral partnership.
What it means for the relationship
The Ministry of External Affairs describes the visit of the Foreign Secretary of India as continuing the tradition of regular high level exchanges between the two countries to further advance close bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation. The release situates the visit in the context of the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to India, for which possible outcomes and initiatives were discussed, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.