India, Nepal defence ministers to meet Tuesday

August 21st, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal's Communication and Information Minister and spokesman Shankar Pokharel on Friday described the five-day visit to India of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as a milestone in Indo-Nepal relations. "The visit is a milestone in Nepal-India relations," Pokharel told reporters.

August 18th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal will be leaving on a five-day official visit to India leading a 64-member team on Tuesday afternoon. Nepal will be accompanied by his spouse Gayatri Nepal, six cabinet ministers including the Foreign, Finance and Energy Ministers, high level government officers, businessmen and journalists.

August 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal will arrive here Tuesday for a five-day visit - his first trip to India after becoming premier. Nepal is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

August 10th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala left for New Delhi on Monday morning to prepare the groundwork for the impending visit of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Koirala flew to New Delhi along with Foreign Secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya and Koirala's Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr Chiranjivi Nepal.

August 9th, 2009 KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI - Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala will undertake a five-day visit of India from August 10 to 14. Koirala will arrive in the Indian capital shortly before noon Monday.

July 26th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Sunday dismissed reports in the Nepali and Indian media that his government was on an arms-shopping spree in India, saying they were "baseless rumours". Summoned by a parliamentary committee Sunday to clarify his coalition government's stand on making fresh arms purchases from India and other internal issues, the communist leader said his government would not do anything to endanger the ongoing peace process.

June 17th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepals Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Wednesday expanded his 11-member cabinet to induct 10 new ministers. However, the protracted squabble with allies over power sharing continued even three weeks after Nepal assuming office with the parties from Terai not sending any new faces to the cabinet.

June 15th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Alarmed at the inability of the new Nepal government to get its act together and the growing Maoist opposition, India is sending its Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon to Kathmandu Saturday to express its concern and push forward the halted peace process. Menon is arriving on a two-day whirlwind visit Saturday, a Nepali foreign ministry official told IANS Monday.

June 9th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood said on Tuesday that a joint committee is working towards finalisation of a boundary map between India and Nepal to resolve the border issue that has long been in contention. "The technical-level committee is working towards finalisation of the map," Rakesh Sood said.

June 5th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has expanded his three-member cabinet by inducting one deputy prime minister and seven new ministers including six ministers from Nepali Congress and one from the CPN (ML) here on Thursday. Prime Minister Nepal administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Ministers at in the presence of the President Dr.

June 4th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Ten days after he became Nepal's new prime minister, replacing Maoist premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal Thursday finally expanded his three-member cabinet with eight new ministers from three more parties. Bitter infighting in the major parties held up the expansion of the cabinet and there was growing pressure from India and other foreign governments for the parties to get their act together.

May 27th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has congratulated his Nepalese counterpart Madhav Kumar Nepal on his appointment as Prime Minister and invited the latter to visit India.

May 25th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood and United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) chief Karen Ladgren have separately met newly elected Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter's residence, Koteshwor. They congratulated Nepal on his election as the new Prime Minister and extended best wishes for his successful term.

May 2nd, 2009 KATHMANDU - Japan's Vice Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi will arrive here on a two-day visit today. During his visit, Kishi will inspect the activities of the Japanese Arms Monitors working under the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) to familiarise himself with the activities of UNMIN.

May 1st, 2009 KATHMANDU - Japan's Vice Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi will arrive here on a two-day visit on Saturday. During his visit, Kishi will inspect the activities of the Japanese Arms Monitors working under the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) to familiarise himself with the activities of UNMIN.