India has formally proposed Naveen Srivastava as its new ambassador to Nepal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country in mid-May, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Srivastava, who heads the East Asia division in the external affairs ministry, has been playing a key role in the diplomatic and military talks with China to tackle the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that began two years ago. He is set to succeed Vinay Kwatra, who became foreign secretary this month, as the envoy to Nepal.
The Indian side’s agreement, or the document formally seeking Nepal’s concurrence for the posting of Srivastava, has been received by Nepal’s foreign ministry and is expected to be cleared soon, people familiar with the matter in New Delhi and Kathmandu said.
Srivastava currently heads the division in the ministry that deals with China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia, and is seen as an experienced China hand. Besides leading the Indian side at meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, Srivastava has participated in meetings of the Indian and Chinese military commanders to address the standoff on the LAC.
He has also served as the consul general in Shanghai and his experience in dealing with China will be an additional advantage in Nepal, given Beijing’s efforts to widen its influence in the Himalayan country’s politics and economy.
The Indian side has proposed Srivastava as its next envoy to Nepal days ahead of a planned visit by Modi to join his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba at Lumbini for celebrations marking Buddha Purnima, or the birth anniversary of the Buddha, on May 16. The visit is yet to be formally announced by India or Nepal.
Deuba made a three-day visit to India last month, during which he held talks with PM Modi. This will be Modi’s second foreign visit in May, after a three-nation European tour.
The Indian leader’s visit to Nepal is expected to be brief and there are currently no plans for him to travel to Kathmandu. Both prime ministers are expected to participate in ceremonies at Maya Devi Temple, an ancient shrine at the UNESCO world heritage site of Lumbini.
This will be Modi’s first visit to Nepal during his second term, and also the first since travel was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He visited Nepal four times during his first term.
India and Nepal are working to repair ties that were hit by several controversies during the term of former Nepalese prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who was removed from his post in a vote of no confidence last year.
Oli’s government had published a new political map of Nepal in 2020 that included the Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani, triggering a row that lasted several months. The delay in supplies of Made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines that Kathmandu had paid for had also irked the Nepalese side.