By Our Reporter

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is now in Thailand on a four-day official visit to Thailand.

At the cordial invitation of Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister Oli is paying a five-day visit to Thailand.

This is the first-ever official visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to the Kingdom of Thailand in 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Prime Minister held talks with the Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra on Wednesday and discussed various areas of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Following the bilateral engagements, the Prime Minister will lead the Nepali delegation to the Sixth Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to be hosted by Thailand on April 4. He is set to address the Summit on the same day.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister Oli will hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from BIMSTEC member states. However, sources said that holding sidelines meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was impossible because of the busy schedule of the latter.

Prime Minister Oli is not received any invitation from India even nine months after his appointment to the top post. India has been avoiding him. Although PM Oli met with Modi in September in New York during the UN General Assembly, his meeting with Modi in BIMSTEC looks unlikely.

The Prime Minister’s entourage includes the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Chief Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Economic and Development Advisor to the Prime Minister, high-ranking government officials, and representatives from the private sector and media persons.

The Prime Minister will return home on April 5.