India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will undertake a two-day official visit to Nepal on November 4 and 5, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Monday.

Source: ANI / Ministry of External Affairs

Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Misri is visiting at the invitation of his counterpart, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai. The two will hold bilateral discussions to review the entire spectrum of India-Nepal relations and exchange views on matters of mutual interest. Misri is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on high-level dignitaries of Nepal and will depart Kathmandu for New Delhi on November 5.

The MEA said India and Nepal "share strong and friendly ties which have seen substantial progress across diverse areas of cooperation", and that the visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.

Groundwork for a bigger visit

According to reporting by The Hindu, Misri's visit is expected to help finalise the agenda and possible outcomes of Prime Minister Balendra Shah's proposed visit to India, expected around November 22, although the dates have not been formally announced by either government. The trip would be Shah's first official bilateral visit abroad since he took office in March.

The proposed Shah visit is expected to focus on strengthening economic cooperation, hydropower investment, cross-border connectivity and infrastructure development. The Hindu also reported that the appointment of Nepal's new ambassador to India and disaster assistance following the recent flash floods are expected to figure in Misri's discussions.