Prez holds talks with Nepalese counterpart

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day state visit, held talks with his Nepalese counterpart Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

During the talks, both Mukherjee and Bhandari hoped that the presidential visit from India, which comes after a gap of 18 years, would help further cement bilateral ties.

While welcoming her Mukherjee at her office, President Bhandari discussed wide range of issues and expressed satisfaction over the present status of Nepal-India ties and underscored regular interactions among the top political leadership, Bharat Raj Poudyal, spokesperson at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters.

Mukherjee told Bhandari that he was eager to host her in New Delhi very soon.

After the meeting, Mukherjee headed to the Indian Embassy to participate in a reception hosted by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae.

Leading a 60-member team including one state minister, some parliamentarians, senior Indian government officials and security personnel, Mukherjee arrived in Kathmandu at 12.30 p.m.