NEW DELHI: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda will make India his first port of call after taking over the post for the third time. He will reach India on May 31 and return on June 3, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday.
Prachanda thus is not repeating the diplomatic faux pas that he committed during his first term when he had selected China as the first country he visited followed by India. In his second stint as PM, Prachanda had ensured that his first overseas visit was to India.
As was the case when he had become PM for the first time, the invitation for the Boao Forum for Asia in China had arrived before India invited him to visit the country. Prachanda told the National Assembly on Tuesday that the Chinese Ambassador Chen Song had advised him to avoid a standoff with India by not attending the Boao Forum. “I thanked the Chinese ambassador for the advice. Then I skipped the event,” he said.
The Nepal PM will be accompanied by his daughter, ministers, secretaries and senior officials of his government. During the visit, Prachanda is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
On June 1, he will hold delegation-level talks with PM Narendra Modi followed by a joint press meet. Later, PM Modi will host a luncheon in honour of the Nepal PM and his delegation.