 "'Happy to be among the wonderful people of Nepal', says Narendra Modi as he arrives in Lumbini; to hold talks with counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba")
Lumbini, Nepal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Nepal for a brief visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, and also hold comprehensive talks with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba to expand bilateral cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity.
PM @narendramodi received by Nepalese PM @SherBDeuba on his arrival at #Lumbini pic.twitter.com/ga22wZsaZ9
— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 16, 2022
Modi, who is in the Himalayan nation at the invitation of Deuba, is paying a day-long visit to Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. 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.
Furthering age old cultural & historical ties, PM @narendramodi embarks on a journey to #Lumbini, the birth place of #LordBuddha on the auspicious occasion of 2566th Buddha Jayanti. pic.twitter.com/U7zVv4dBJl
— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) May 16, 2022
Lumbini, located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, is one of the holiest places of Buddhism, as Lord Buddha was born there. During the visit, he visited the sacred Maya Devi temple and delivered an address at the Buddha Jayanti celebrations organised by the Lumbini Development Trust.
#WATCH PM Narendra Modi and Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba offer prayers at Mahamayadevi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2022
(Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/EAfgQ2cAz2
The visiting Prime Minister will also participate in the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of a centre for Buddhist Culture and heritage within the Lumbini Monastic Zone. “Apart from visiting the holy Mayadevi Temple, I will be participating in ‘Shilanyas’ ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone,” Modi said. “My visit is intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honoured linkages that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of inter-mingling,” he said. Prime Minister Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Deuba will also hold a bilateral meeting in Lumbini. “During the meeting, they will exchange views on Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interests,” according to a statement issued by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a statement on 15 May , Modi said he was looking forward to meeting Nepalese Prime Minister Deuba again after their “productive” discussions during his visit to India last month. Both sides will continue to build on the shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity, he said. “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. “My visit is intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honoured linkages that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of intermingling,” Modi said in his departure statement on Sunday. On 13 May, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi’s talks with his Nepalese counterpart Deuba at Lumbini in Nepal on 16 May will have a comprehensive agenda to further expand cooperation in multiple areas including hydropower and connectivity. According to Indian Embassy sources, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Kwatra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other senior officials will be in the Prime Minister’s entourage. It is learnt that some MoUs on cooperation in cultural and educational sectors are expected to be exchanged between the two countries after the Modi-Deuba talks. “I also look forward to meeting Prime Minister Deuba again after our productive discussions during his visit to India last month,” Modi said. “We will continue to build on our shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity,” he added. Deuba was in Delhi last month in his first bilateral visit abroad after becoming prime minister for the fifth time in July 2021. During the visit, which was aimed at injecting fresh momentum into bilateral ties, Deuba held talks with Modi on a number of key issues, including the boundary issue. Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old “Roti-Beti” relationship. The landlocked Himalayan nation shares a border of over 1,850 kms with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. With inputs from PTI Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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