Kathmandu, August 30
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is likely to receive an invitation from the Indian government to attend the BRICS Summit in Goa in the second week of October.
The summit meeting of the heads of government of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) is to take place in the Indian resort city on October 15-16.
The grouping of emerging economies has a tradition of having an outreach event with leaders of the region where the host country is located. For example, when the meeting took place in Brazil in 2014, leaders of Latin American countries were invited for an outreach. Similarly, in 2015 Russia had invited all the Central Asian countries when it hosted the summit.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited leaders of SAARC countries to attend his swearing in ceremony in May 2014, is likely to give priority to BIMISTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) this time, reports in the Indian media suggest.
Nepal became a member of BIMISTEC in 2003, and currently holds the chair of the grouping that has Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand as members.
Modi is likely to invite BIMISTEC leaders to the meet as India-Pakistan relations have soured in the last few weeks over issues surrounding Kashmir and Balouchistan. The Indian Prime Minister is likely to invite leaders of the Maldives and Afghanistan (SAARC countries that are not members of BIMISTEC) as ‘special’ guests to the event.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is to visit India in the second week of September, and Chinese President is likely make a quick stop in Nepal when he returns home from Goa.
