Nepal has sought bullet proof cars from India for the forthcoming SAARC Summit in Kathmandu. Nepalese Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, who is in New Delhi to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the SAARC Summit, requested his counterpart Sushma Swaraj to assist Nepal with logistical support. The 18th SAARC Summit is scheduled for November 26-27.
Pandey also met Modi to hand over the invitation letter from Nepali PM Sushil Koirala for the SAARC Summit. The 18th SAARC Summit would be held in the light of this changed situation in South Asia. This will be Modi’s second visit to Nepal. While saying that he keenly looked forward to participating in his first SAARC Summit, Modi said he attaches highest priority to relations with SAARC countries. Committing India’s full support to the SAARC process, Modi also expressed that SAARC countries had much to learn from each other’s experiences and strengths.
The SAARC preparatory committee meeting consisting of Joint Secretaries will take place on November 22 and the Foreign Secretary-level standing committee will be held on November 23-24. While assuring Nepal of providing whatever logistical support was needed Swaraj said that the SAARC process touches lives of the people of South Asia and India was committed to increasing trade and commerce as well as connectivity and people-to-people interaction.
India and Nepal will sign a Power Trade Agreement in Kathmandu on Tuesday. During her meeting with Pandey, Swaraj hoped that the negotiations for other hydro-electric projects would also be expedited. The Minister briefed Pandey on India’s efforts to work out new modalities for certain priority projects. India is awaiting Nepal’s concurrence of the draft agreement for the $1 billion line of Credit announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal. Swaraj said that once that is done high priority projects of the Nepal Government could be considered for implementation at an early date.