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Prime Minister Balendra Shah held his first one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Monday. The exchange signalled a shift towards direct diplomatic engagement and closer cooperation with India.
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Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 10, 2026 13:20 IST
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Monday held his first one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava, with the two sides discussing bilateral ties, development partnership and areas of cooperation. Shah stressed the need to deepen Nepal's "historic relationship" with India, according to the prime minister's secretariat.
The meeting also signalled a change in Shah's approach to direct engagements with foreign envoys and senior visiting officials. Srivastava congratulated Shah and expressed his commitment to further strengthening relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Shah met Srivastava at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar. According to the prime minister's secretariat, the meeting covered Nepal-India bilateral relations, mutual interests, development partnership and other areas of cooperation.
In a post on X, Srivastava said: "Honoured to call on Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal (@ShahBalen) this morning. Conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Modi ji (@narendramodi). Had an engaging and productive exchange of views on further deepening robust, multifaceted India-Nepal partnership."
The prime minister's secretariat said Shah emphasised the need to deepen Nepal's "historic relationship" with India and work together in areas of shared interest. Shah is also scheduled to meet Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming separately on Monday, while US Embassy Charg d'Affaires Scott Urbom is expected to meet him on Tuesday.
Earlier, Shah had avoided one-on-one engagements and had declined to meet US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Samir Paul Kapur and President Donald Trump's special envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor. He broke that self-imposed rule when he held a one-on-one meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda, who visited Nepal for three days beginning July 6. Shah has also not undertaken any visit to either the southern or the northern neighbour, with Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal instead making back-to-back visits to New Delhi and Beijing in June.
Monday's meeting with Srivastava was Shah's first one-on-one interaction with the Indian envoy and came as he began opening up to direct meetings with foreign diplomats and senior visiting officials, while stressing closer cooperation with India.
With PTI Inputs
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 10, 2026 13:20 IST
