News Details

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held bilateral talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba in Lumbini - the birthplace of Gautam Buddha - during which they discussed ways to strengthen ongoing cooperation and develop new areas in the multifaceted bilateral partnership. .

After their talks, the two sides signed six Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on cooperation in cultural and educational sectors. .

Modi, who is in the Himalayan nation at the invitation of Deuba on a day-long visit to Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, met Deuba after offering prayers at the sacred Maya Devi temple here. . "PM @narendramodi holds bilateral talks with PM @SherBDeuba in Lumbini. Opportunity to strengthen ongoing cooperation and develop new areas in our multifaceted partnership," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. . The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) inked separate MoUs with Lumbini Buddhist University on the establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chair for Buddhist Studies; with Tribhuvan University on the establishment of ICCR Chair of Indian Studies and with the Kathmandu University (KU) on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies. . An MoU between Kathmandu University (KU) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) was also signed. A Letter of Agreement (LoA) between KU and IIT-M was signed for joint degree programme at Master's level. . An agreement between SJVN Ltd and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for Development and implementation of Arun 4 Project was also inked. . Deuba also hosted a lunch in honour of Modi and his delegation. . Ahead of his visit, Modi had said that his visit to Nepal is intended to further deepen the "time-honoured" linkages between the two countries, adding both sides will continue to build on the shared understanding to expand ties in multiple areas, including hydropower and connectivity. . "Our ties with Nepal are unparalleled. The civilisational and people-to-people contacts between India and Nepal form the enduring edifice of our close relationship," Modi had said in his departure statement. . Modi had said that he was looking forward to meeting Deuba after their "productive" discussions during the latter's visit to India last month. . Their discussion is likely to focus on further expanding cooperation in multiple areas, including hydropower and connectivity. . It is the prime minister's fifth visit to Nepal since 2014. Modi and his entourage arrived here on a special Indian Air Force helicopter from Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. . Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said on Friday that Modi's talks with Deuba will have a comprehensive agenda to further expand cooperation. . Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. . Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India. . The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations between the two countries.