PM Modi, Nepal PM Deuba virtual summit in March
Categories: Politics news
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba are expected to hold a virtual summit in early March. The key outcomes of the summit will be a pact on delivery of fertilizers to Nepal and giving go-ahead to railway service between Kurtha-Jayanagar. Both the Prime Ministers had met on the sidelines of the Glasgow climate summit last year. That was the first in-person meet between the two sides after Deuba took charge as Nepal PM in July of that year. During that meeting, Nepal had sought fertilizers, covid vaccines from India. Another key focus was the opening of new air routes connecting the two countries. Nepal PM was expected to visit India earlier this year for the Vibrant Gujarat Investor summit but that could not happen due to Omicron covid crisis. Ties between India and Nepal were frayed under the previous Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli who had come out with a new map of Nepal irking New Delhi. With the change of guard in Kathmandu, both sides are working to improve ties. Nepal's new foreign minister Dr.Narayan Khadka and EAM Jaishankar had met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York a few months ago. Earlier this month, PM Modi had held a virtual summit with his UAE counterpart. During that summit the much-awaited India UAE free trade agreement was signed. In January, PM Modi had virtually participated in the first India-Central Asia summit, involving leaders of all five central Asian countries.