Kovind accepts Nepalese president's invitation to visit Himalayan nation

President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted his Nepalese counterpart President Bidya Devi Bhandari's invitation to visit the Himalayan nation, officials said. Bhandari and Kovind, who are in Tokyo to attend the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, met on Tuesday morning, according to Nepalese Foreign Ministry sources.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries. "The two presidents appreciated the timely completion of the cross-border petroleum pipeline and expressed hope that other projects would also be implemented in an expeditious manner," they said.

The presidents underlined the importance of high-level exchanges on a regular basis in order to advance bilateral relations. In this context, Bhandari invited Kovind to visit Nepal. Kovind expressed his willingness to go to Nepal and thanked her.

Though the date of the visit has not been decided, Kovind said it would be at a convenient time for both sides. Kovind, who has already visited Nepal in 2006 in the capacity of a Member of Parliament, said the visit would be planned at a diplomatic level, National News Agency of Nepal (RSS) reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, the official Twitter account of the Rashtrapati Bhavan said Kovind, who is the first Indian president to visit Japan in 29 years, held talks with Nepal's Bhandari. "President Kovind met the President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari, in Tokyo, Japan. The two leaders discussed several issues of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation between India and Nepal," it said in the tweet.

The president arrived here on Monday after concluding his five-day state visit to the Philippines. During his three-day visit, Kovind will also interact with the Indian community in the Japanese capital.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)