Nepal and India have expedited their preparations for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s official visit to India.  According to officials, India has proposed a tentative date for next month. With the appointment of Foreign Minister NP Saud, the government of Nepal is expected to decide on the dates shortly and communicate it to the Indian side. Minister Saud also confirmed that his office will now start preparations for the prime minister’s India trip, during which the two governments are expected to ink some vital agreements particularly in the areas of connectivity and energy cooperation. It has been almost four months since Dahal came to power, and as a customary practice, he is set to make his first official visit to India.

An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said most prime ministerial visits to India in the past were rather rushed, but the ministry is making intensive preparations this time so that the trip yields some tangible results.

Over the past few years, Nepal and India haven’t signed any significant deals during the prime minister-level visits, as the two countries were focused on implementation of past agreements. But this time, the two sides are likely to make some important agreements, said a government source. However, a breakthrough on the border dispute or on the issue of revisiting the 1950 treaty between the two countries is unlikely to happen. A government source said the two governments could agree to resolve these issues through their diplomatic channel. PM Dahal is under pressure from the opposition parties to take up these issues with India. But the Indian side has maintained that these issues could be resolved only if they are not ‘politicized.’