New Delhi: The first amongst the BIMSTEC member-states to confirm their attendance is Nepal, as Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is scheduled to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on May 30.
“Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will be travelling to India on May 30 of this month. This time he will be there to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his Indian counterpart. He will start from Kathmandu on May 30 itself and is slated to attend the ceremony later in the evening,” a minister from the incumbent cabinet told ANI seeking anonymity.
The two countries will be holding bilateral talks the following day, a senior official from Nepal’s MoFA confirmed to ANI.
“We formally have received the invitation letter from Indian Prime Minister’s Office for the oath ceremony. During the visit Nepal Prime Minister also will hold bilateral talks with Indian counterpart the following day after the swearing-in ceremony,” the official said.
Like SAARC leaders last time, heads of government from neighbouring BIMSTEC countries are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi for his second term on May 30.
The decision to invite the leaders from the grouping is in line with the government’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, according to the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
Apart from BIMSTEC leaders, invitations have also been extended to Kyrgyzstan’s President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth.
In 2014, when Modi won his first term, all the SAARC leaders, including the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the swearing-in as part of invitations extended to all the member countries of the South Asian grouping.
Member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand besides India.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]