KATHMANDU: Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle is scheduled to visit India on Sept. 18 for his first official foreign trip since assuming office.
The three-day visit, ending on Sept. 20, is being held at the invitation of Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The cabinet is expected to approve the visit today.
Upon his arrival in New Delhi on Thursday, Wagle is set to hold high-level meetings with his counterpart Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. His secretariat stated that efforts are also underway to arrange a meeting with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.
During his stay, Wagle will address three key events. On Friday morning, he will speak at a roundtable at the India International Centre, hosted by former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.
On Saturday, he will participate in an event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), where he will discuss the new government’s policies regarding investment promotion in Nepal.
Additionally, he is scheduled to deliver a lecture on global and Asian economic trends at the Delhi School of Economics.
The secretariat noted that the visit will focus on connectivity, trade, transit, and business cooperation. Discussions will specifically cover potential Indian assistance for reconstruction efforts following the floods that struck Nepal on Aug. 27.
Wagle will be accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the chief of the Foreign Aid Division of the Ministry of Finance, and two members of his secretariat.
