Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are likely to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit, which is taking place in Thailand on April 3-4.

This will be the second meeting between Oli and Modi; the first meeting was held in September last year on the sidelines of the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations. Despite multiple requests, India is refusing to extend formal invitation to Oli for the official visit to New Delhi. According to government officials, the Oli-Modi meeting is expected to create a conducive environment for Oli’s India visit and Modi’s visit to Nepal. 

Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba has said more than once that Oil would soon receive the invitation from New Delhi for the bilateral visit. Presumably, the relationship between the two countries is not as it used to be after Nepal signed a framework agreement on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI and growing Chinese influence in Kathmandu is a cause of concern for us, says an Indian official requesting anonymity.

The summit was due to take place last year but was postponed in August, when Thailand was under a caretaker administration. The group’s meetings and summit will take place from April 2-4.  The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, includes Thailand, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan and its leaders meet every two years for a summit. According to media reports, India has informed Thailand that Modi will travel to the country for the summit. As SAARC is completely dysfunctional, India is boosting BIMSTEC for regional cooperation, connectivity and security.