KATHMANDU, MAY 12

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is arriving on an official visit to Nepal on Monday, May 16. He is visiting at the invitation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The Indian Prime Minister will pay an official visit to Lumbini to attend the special ceremony on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

The Prime Minister of India together with the Prime Minister of Nepal will participate in a prayer at the Mayadevi Temple, lay the foundation stone for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage at the Monastic Zone in Lumbini, and address the special ceremony to be organized to celebrate Buddha Jayanti at the Lumbini International Buddhist Meditation Center and Assembly Hall.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Narayan Khadka, will call on Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

While in Lumbini, the two Prime Ministers will hold bilateral talks and exchange views on Nepal-India cooperation and matters of mutual interests. The Prime Minister of Nepal will host a luncheon in honour of the Prime Minister of India and the visiting delegation.

The upcoming visit of the Prime Minister of India will contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the age-old socio-cultural bonds between the two countries, it is stated.

This will be Modi's the fifth visit to Nepal as the Prime Minister of India.