Nepal PM Balen Shah Meets Indian Envoy in First One-on-One Diplomatic Meeting

August 10, 2026

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Monday held a one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava, marking his first individual meeting with a foreign diplomat since taking office on March 27.

The meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar marked a departure from Shah’s earlier policy of avoiding individual engagements with foreign ambassadors. Instead, he had preferred collective meetings with diplomats posted in Kathmandu.

According to Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Shah and Srivastava discussed Nepal-India bilateral relations, mutual interests, development partnership and areas of cooperation.

The Indian Ambassador congratulated Shah on becoming Prime Minister and expressed his commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation.

Shah, in turn, stressed the need to deepen Nepal’s historic ties with India and work together in areas of shared interest, the Secretariat said.

Shah Breaks From Earlier Diplomatic Policy

Since assuming office, Shah had avoided one-on-one meetings with foreign ambassadors, although he held collective interactions with them.

He had earlier held joint meetings with Kathmandu-based ambassadors on April 9 and May 26. The approach was welcomed by some Nepali diplomats and foreign policy observers, who viewed it as a more transparent and equitable way of engaging with foreign representatives.

However, the policy was increasingly seen as difficult to maintain as Nepal sought to expand its engagement with other countries and international institutions.

Shah had also met Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda during his three-day visit to Nepal in early July, despite his earlier position on individual diplomatic meetings.

Meetings With Chinese, US Envoys Planned

Shah is scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming later on Monday. A meeting with US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom is also planned for Tuesday, according to a source at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

The meetings with the ambassadors of Nepal’s two immediate neighbours on the same day are being viewed as a possible indication of Kathmandu’s effort to maintain balanced relations with both India and China.

Earlier, Shah had declined requests for meetings with several senior US officials visiting Nepal, including US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Samir Paul Kapur and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor.

The proposed visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Kathmandu in early May was also reportedly postponed after Shah declined to meet him.

Foreign policy analysts have previously cautioned that a blanket policy of avoiding meetings with foreign diplomats could affect Nepal’s national interests, particularly when dealing with strategically important countries and institutions.