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Kathmandu, March 22: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba has said that her visit to India this time was fruitful for expanding diplomatic relations. She spoke to reporters at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) upon her return from Delhi on Friday after attending the Raisina Dialogue organized by the Ministry of External Affairs of India in New Delhi from March 17 to 20.

“During the visit, I met with the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S Jaishankar, and my counterparts from other countries and also addressed the Raisina Dialogue,” she said. “Similarly, I took the initiative to continue the electricity purchased by Nepal from India. Therefore, this visit was fruitful in expanding Nepal’s diplomatic relations,” she said to the press.

During the visit, she also held separate meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Moldova, the Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Ukraine and the Philippines, and senior directors of the National Security Council of the United States.

Minister Rana said, “While in India, I also made diplomatic efforts to solve the power shortage in Nepal. In particular, I have requested to increase the amount of electricity supplied to Nepal through the Indian Energy Exchange as per the existing bilateral agreement between Nepal and India.”

During a meeting with Ricky Gill, senior director of the US National Security Council, she said that she urged him to continue the necessary support provided by the US to Nepal and facilitate the safe release of Nepali citizen Bipin Joshi who has been taken hostage by Hamas. Minister Rana informed that during her meeting with the Ukrainian counterpart, she requested for the release of seven Nepalis who were held as prisoners in Ukraine.

Although the Minister claimed that her visit was successful, local observers opine that India totally neglected the visit.

She spent 12 days in India but she didn’t get an opportunity to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is reported that Minister Deuba had wished to hand over an invitation letter to Modi to attend the Sagarmatha Dialogue being held next month.

Nevertheless, Deuba clarified that she had no plan to meet the Indian PM.

Accordingly, it is reported that during her meeting with the Indian counterpart, she didn’t miss to ask whether there were Indian hands in increasing demonstrations in favor of the restoration of the Hindu kingdom, the Indian Minister declined such a report saying that there was no India hands in such activities in Nepal.

Moreover, she spent 12 days in India as if she had no work at home, which has been criticized by local media at home.

People’s News Monitoring Service.