External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Nepalese Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle in New Delhi and offered his deep condolences over the loss of lives and property in the recent flash floods in Nepal. The duo discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the economic, energy, and connectivity sectors.
“Glad to meet Finance Minister @SwarnimWagle of Nepal today in Delhi. Offered my deep condolences on the destruction of lives and property in the recent flash floods. Discussed ways to strengthen our overall cooperation, especially in economic, energy and connectivity domains. #NeighbourhoodFirst”, EAM Jaishankar posted on X.
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2100934028589478376?s=20
Wagle is on his first official visit to India since assuming office as Nepal’s finance minister.
“The finance minister of Nepal is visiting India. Yesterday, he had a meeting with our finance minister, where they talked about economic issues, trade and investment. We have a strong, ongoing cooperation on trade, investment and financial matters with Nepal,” said Randhir Jaiswal Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.
“During his meeting with the finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman), we expressed our continued support for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts in Nepal.
“It was also an occasion for us to once again convey our deepest condolences on the tragedy and the loss of lives in the floods that have occurred, as also an occasion for both sides to discuss together the impact of the floods,” the MEA spokesperson said.
Jaiswal was asked about Wagle’s visit to India and his engagements.
“Overall, the finance minister’s visit will further strengthen the economic ties and financial engagements that we have with Nepal,” he said.
Sitharaman met Wagle here on Thursday and discussed the impact of the recent flash floods in Nepal and the country’s priorities for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The two ministers also discussed measures to strengthen bilateral economic ties and initiatives to enhance connectivity for deepening trade, investments and people-to-people exchanges.
The discussions came against the backdrop of India’s continued engagement with Nepal on economic cooperation, connectivity and development assistance.
On the parliamentary elections in Russia, Jaiswal was asked if any Indian observers were there on the ground.
“We continue to follow developments that are happening across the world. As to your specific question, as to do we have people who are observing elections, I don’t have any information on that,” he said.
-with inputs from agencies
