K P Oli likely to visit India in April 1st week on maiden trip abroad as Nepal PM

NEW DELHI: Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is likely to undertake a three-day official visit to India from April 6, his maiden foreign trip after taking office last month in keeping with the tradition of his country’s Prime Ministers.

Delhi and Kathmandu desire to put the past differences behind and start a “new chapter” in its relationship with Oli following PM Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s outreach immediately after the election results. Ever since Swaraj visited Kathmandu Oli’s visit has been in works, hinted persons familiar with the process.

ET had reported first that Oli could visit Delhi in near future.


Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali will visit Delhi ahead of Oli’s trip to prepare for the big visit as Kathmandu appears to balance its ties between Beijing and Delhi.

Oli is expected to invite Modi to visit Kathmandu which could happen for the BIMSTEC Summit. Modi last visited Nepal in 2014 -- first on a bilateral trip and then for the SAARC Summit. Officials from Kathmandu indicated to ET that Oli’s decision to visit India before any other country (read China) is based on the fact that Delhi reached out to him through Swaraj visit and he is mindful of the fact that most of his predecessors including in his first term as PM -- Oli made India his first destination.