Kathmandu, 18 September (H.S.): Nepal’s Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle is scheduled to hold several important diplomatic and bilateral meetings on Friday, the second day of his three-day visit to India.

Earlier, on Thursday evening, shortly after arriving in India, Finance Minister Wagle held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman.

On the second day of his visit, Finance Minister Wagle will attend a high-level diplomatic dialogue programme this morning as the chief guest. The event, hosted by former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, is being held at the India International Centre in New Delhi, where Wagle will address the gathering and share his views.

At 5 p.m. today, Finance Minister Wagle is scheduled to meet Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

Finance Minister Wagle will also participate in a comprehensive meeting hosted by Javed Ashraf, Chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation. The programme, to be held at Bharat Mandapam, will feature high-level discussions on various aspects of Nepal-India economic cooperation.

The Nepali delegation led by Finance Minister Wagle includes Amrit Lamsal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Finance; Gehendra Raj Bhandari, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Surendra Thapa, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi; Economic Minister Taranath Adhikari; and Kanchan Basnet, Private Deputy Secretary to the Finance Minister.

On the third and final day of his visit, Saturday, Finance Minister Wagle is scheduled to hold further high-level meetings, including discussions with representatives of the private sector. The Nepali delegation is then scheduled to return home.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar