India-Nepal ties in focus as envoy Naveen Srivastava meets PM Balen Shah

Kathmandu, August 10, 2026; India-Nepal relations, development cooperation and future areas of partnership were discussed during a meeting between Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah in Kathmandu on Monday.

Srivastava called on Shah at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar, marking an important diplomatic engagement between the two countries. The discussions centred on ways to further expand bilateral cooperation and strengthen the development partnership between New Delhi and Kathmandu.

The meeting comes as both countries continue to advance cooperation in areas including infrastructure, connectivity, energy, education, healthcare, agriculture and cultural heritage.

Following the meeting, Srivastava said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to Shah. He described the interaction as constructive and said the two sides exchanged views on taking the India-Nepal partnership forward across multiple areas.

The Nepal Prime Minister’s Office also highlighted the importance of strengthening relations between the neighbouring countries and advancing cooperation for their mutual benefit.

The meeting reportedly lasted around an hour and assumes significance as Shah’s first one-to-one bilateral engagement with a foreign ambassador since becoming prime minister nearly four months ago. His earlier approach had generally favoured meetings involving groups of foreign diplomats rather than individual interactions.

Shah is also expected to hold separate meetings with other senior diplomatic representatives. A meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming is scheduled later on Monday, while talks with US Charge d’Affaires Scott Urbom are expected on Tuesday.

India and Nepal share longstanding political, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. India’s development partnership with Nepal dates back to the early years of bilateral cooperation, with projects gradually expanding into sectors such as transport connectivity, power, education, health and heritage conservation.

Over the decades, Indian-supported development initiatives have been undertaken across different parts of Nepal, with projects largely aligned with the country’s local requirements and development priorities.

The latest diplomatic engagement is expected to provide further momentum to cooperation between the two neighbours and reinforce their focus on practical development-oriented partnerships.