Nepalese PM Prachanda arrives in India on 4-day visit

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Wednesday began a four-day visit to India that is expected to inject a fresh momentum in the already close relations between the two countries.

It is the first bilateral trip abroad by the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader after he assumed the top office in December 2022.

He was received at the airport in Delhi by Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.

"PM @cmprachanda of Nepal arrives in New Delhi on his first overseas visit after assumption of office. Warmly welcomed by MoS @M_Lekhi at the airport. The visit will impart renewed momentum to the close and unique India-Nepal relationship," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

A high-level delegation is accompanying Prachanda.

He and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks on Thursday following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements.

Read | Nepal PM says his upcoming visit to India will script 'new history'

The Nepalese prime minister is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.

Nepal shares a border of over 1850 km with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.

Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India.

The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries.

On Friday morning, the Nepalese prime minister will travel to Indore and will leave for Kathmandu the next day.