Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that India’s ties with Nepal are unparalleled, and said that “civilisational and people-to-people contacts” between the two countries form “enduring edifice” of our close relationship.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Lumbini in Nepal on May 16 at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Bahadur Deuba.
In his departure statement, PM Modi said that he looks forward to meeting Deuba again after “our productive discussions” during his visit to India last month.
“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,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that they will continue to build on their shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, “including in hydropower, development and connectivity”.
“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 added.
“I look forward to offering prayers at the Mayadevi Temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti. I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions of Indians to pay reverence at the sacred site of Lord Buddha’s birth… Apart from visiting the holy Mayadevi Temple, I will be participating in “Shilanyas” ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, quoting PM Modi.
During his visit to the neighbouring country, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti organised by the Nepal government.
