Kathmandu: Nepal Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle arrived in the national capital on Thursday. On arrival, he was welcomed by senior officials present at the airport.
During the visit, Wagle will be meeting Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with the primary focus on economic cooperation for reconstruction after floods, the source informed ANI.
The visit will be the first high-level trip from Nepal since the devastating floods of August 26 that killed 1,388 people and destroyed property worth around $4.75 billion in three districts.
The Nepal Ministry of Finance said in an X post that Wagle is on a three-day visit and “will hold meetings with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.”
माननीय अर्थमन्त्री डा. स्वर्णिम वाग्ले तीनदिने भ्रमणमा बिहीवार नयाँ दिल्ली प्रस्थान गर्नुभएको छ। उहाँले भारतीय अर्थमन्त्री निर्मला सीतारमण र विदेशमन्त्री डा. एस. जयशंकरसँग भेटवार्ता गर्नुहुनेछ। विपद्पछिको पुनर्निर्माण र द्विपक्षीय आर्थिक सहकार्य भ्रमणका मुख्य विषय हुनेछन्। pic.twitter.com/9Vwymt5iSJ
— MOF Nepal 🇳🇵 (@mofnepal) September 17, 2026
“Post-disaster reconstruction and bilateral economic cooperation will be the main topics of the visit,” the ministry said.
The visit will be the first high-level trip from Nepal since the devastating floods of August 26 that killed 1,388 people and destroyed property worth around USD 4.75 billion in three districts.
Wagle's arrival comes as Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Wednesday reflected on his diplomatic assignment after paying back-to-back farewell visits to Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar.
During his meeting with the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Srivastava expressed his gratitude towards the Nepal Government and thanked Minister Khanal for his continued support in boosting bilateral ties.
In a post on X, Ambassador Srivastava said, "Honoured to call on Hon. Foreign Minister Mr Shisir Khanal for a farewell meeting. Conveyed appreciation for his continued support in strengthening multifaceted ties."
"Recalling that in the last few years significant progress had been achieved in deepening our partnership across all areas including energy, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people linkages," he added.
During his meeting with Ambassador Srivastava, Foreign Minister Khanal congratulated the Indian diplomat on the "successful completion of his tenure," while appreciating his efforts toward "further deepening multifaceted ties" between the two nations.
Foreign Minister Khanal highlighted key progress made during Ambassador Srivastava’s tenure, citing "major milestones in energy cooperation, trade, and infrastructure connectivity as well as people-to-people relations."
He further expressed his "deep gratitude for the solidarity and swift disaster relief support" provided by India following the disastrous floods in the Bhote Koshi River. Extending his best wishes for future endeavours, the Minister expressed confidence that Ambassador Srivastava "will continue to remain a good friend of Nepal."
The arrival and departure come against the backdrop of the ongoing rescue and relief operations by joint Indian and Nepali teams following the devastating flash floods that hit the nation last month.
Nearly three weeks later, rescue teams working round the clock at the Chilime hydropower tunnel are closer than ever to reaching six people believed to be trapped inside.
