Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal paid his first official visit to India since the formation of Nepal's current government, holding high-level discussions aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries.

Minister Khanal arrived in New Delhi on Friday at the invitation of S. Jaishankar and held delegation-level talks with his Indian counterpart on Saturday.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the discussions covered a wide range of issues, including development cooperation, connectivity expansion, trade and transit, energy collaboration, and strengthening people-to-people relations.

The two sides reviewed the overall status of Nepal–India relations and exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress made in bilateral cooperation and welcomed initiatives in innovation, startups, digital technology, and financial services.

Nepal and India also agreed to intensify efforts to elevate their multidimensional partnership to new heights. Both sides welcomed the completion of internal procedures required to implement the Nepal–India Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement (MLAA), which is expected to enhance cooperation in investigations, prosecutions, and judicial proceedings related to cross-border crimes.

Following the bilateral talks, Minister Jaishankar formally handed over 72 health institution projects and 12 cultural heritage projects completed under India's 2015 Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance Program in Nepal.

In a major step toward financial connectivity, the two ministers jointly launched the person-to-person (P2P) linkage between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Nepal's National Payments Interface (NPI), aimed at simplifying cross-border remittance transactions.

Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between India's Digital Bhashini initiative and Kathmandu University to co-develop national digital infrastructure for a voice-first language translation platform.

During his stay in New Delhi, Minister Khanal also held separate meetings with Ajit Doval and Vijay Chauthaiwale.

Officials believe the visit has injected fresh momentum into Nepal–India relations by expanding dialogue on shared priorities and reinforcing the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.