Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Kathmandu on 4 November 2026 for a two-day official visit aimed at reviewing the full range of India-Nepal bilateral ties and laying the groundwork for Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah's upcoming state visit to New Delhi. India's Ambassador to Nepal Sudhakar Dalela and senior officials from Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs received Misri at the airport.

Purpose and Agenda of the Visit

Both governments simultaneously announced the visit on Monday, 3 November, with separate statements from Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirming that Misri would hold formal bilateral talks with Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai during the two-day stay. Misri is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on senior Nepali dignitaries.

Nepal's Foreign Ministry said in its statement that 'the two sides will review the full range of Nepal-India relations and exchange views on matters of mutual interest, with a view to further strengthening the long-standing, close and friendly ties between the two countries.' India's MEA, in turn, described the visit as covering 'bilateral, regional and global matters of mutual interest.'

Groundwork for PM Shah's India Visit

A central objective of Misri's visit is to shape a substantive agenda for Prime Minister Balendra Shah's proposed trip to New Delhi. Nepali officials have signalled that Kathmandu is determined to make Shah's visit 'meaningful by securing tangible progress on several issues' on which it is seeking India's cooperation, according to a Nepali Foreign Ministry official.

The two sides are also expected to jointly inaugurate several bilateral cooperation projects during Prime Minister Shah's proposed visit, adding a deliverable-driven dimension to the diplomatic calendar.

Key Issues Nepal Is Pushing

Among the priorities Nepal intends to raise is a request for a 'substantial assistance package from India in the wake of the devastation caused by the August 26 floods,' the Nepali Foreign Ministry official said. Beyond disaster relief, Nepal is pressing for notable progress on the long-standing border dispute, a revision of the bilateral trade treaty, and additional air entry points for international flights routed via India.

Broader Context of India-Nepal Ties

India's MEA noted that the two countries 'share strong and friendly ties which have seen substantial progress across diverse areas of cooperation,' and characterised Misri's visit as a continuation of 'the tradition of regular high-level exchanges.' This comes amid renewed diplomatic momentum between New Delhi and Kathmandu, with the foreign-secretary-level meeting serving as the latest in a series of high-level engagements. Notably, the visit signals India's intent to maintain active diplomatic channels with its northern neighbour at a time when Nepal's engagement calculus with regional powers remains closely watched.

Misri's discussions are expected to conclude on 5 November, with any joint outcomes likely to set the tone for the bilateral summit that follows.