Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Nepal PM Balen Shah meets Indian envoy in first one-on-one
Every country sends special helpers, called ambassadors, to other countries to keep friendships strong.
Nepal has a new Prime Minister named Balendra Shah, who started the job on March 27.
When he became leader, he chose not to meet ambassadors one at a time and instead met them all together in big group meetings.
On Monday, he had his very first one-on-one meeting with a foreign ambassador — the ambassador from India, Naveen Srivastava.
They met at his office in Singha Durbar and talked about being good friends, helping each other, and working together on big projects.
The Indian ambassador brought a warm greeting from India's leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The meeting lasted 45 minutes.
Later that same day, he met the ambassador from China too, and the next day he planned to meet a leader from the American embassy.
He had also already made an exception to his rule by meeting the president of the Asian Development Bank.
Some people think leaders should meet ambassadors one by one, while others liked his earlier idea of meeting them all together.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah met Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Monday, his first one-on-one meeting with a foreign diplomat since taking office on March 27.
The 45-minute meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar covered bilateral friendship, mutual interests, development partnership and cooperation.
Ambassador Srivastava conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed deepening the 'multifaceted and strong partnership' between the countries.
Shah also met Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming the same day, while US Chargé d'Affaires Scott Urbom was scheduled to meet him on Tuesday.
The meeting marks a departure from Shah's earlier policy of collective ambassador gatherings, though he had previously held talks with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda.
- Who
- Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava
- What
- Shah's first one-on-one meeting with a foreign diplomat since taking office, covering bilateral friendship, mutual interests, development partnership and cooperation
- When
- Monday, August 10, more than four months after Shah became prime minister on March 27
- Where
- The Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu
- Why
- To deepen Nepal's 'historic relationship' with India and shift toward more direct diplomatic engagement amid political and foreign-policy challenges
Supporters of collective ambassador meetings
Advocates of one-on-one diplomacy
How Nepal should engage foreign diplomats
Supporters of collective ambassador meetings
Nepali diplomats, foreign policy experts and observers welcomed Shah's collective meetings with Kathmandu-based ambassadors as a more transparent and equitable approach, unlike the easy access foreign diplomats were routinely given in the past.
Advocates of one-on-one diplomacy
Some foreign policy analysts said a blanket refusal to meet foreign diplomats does not serve Nepal's national interests, and that protocol should not become a barrier to meeting representatives of strategically important countries or institutions.
Significance of meeting India before China
Supporters of collective ambassador meetings
The decision to meet the ambassadors of Nepal's two immediate neighbours on the same day appears to indicate that Nepal attaches equal importance to both neighbouring countries.
Advocates of one-on-one diplomacy
A senior foreign ministry official reportedly told the Kathmandu-based daily Nepal Khabar that the Indian ambassador was instructed to come first followed by the Chinese ambassador, with the timing reflecting the government's foreign-policy priority.
- Nepal Prime Minister
- Balendra Shah (took office March 27)
- Indian Ambassador
- Naveen Srivastava
- Meeting venue
- Prime Minister's Office, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu
- Meeting duration
- 45 minutes
- First one-on-one with a foreign diplomat
- Yes, since Shah became prime minister
- Previous collective ambassador meetings
- April 9 and May 26
- Other diplomatic meetings
- Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming (same day); US Chargé d'Affaires Scott Urbom (Tuesday)
- Earlier exception to policy
- Talks with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda during his three-day visit in early July
Sources
Nepal PM Balen Shah holds one-on-one meet with Indian envoy, his first after taking charge
Nepal PM Balen Shah Meets Indian Envoy Naveen Srivastawa Ahead Of All Others
Nepal PM Balen Shah meets Indian envoy Naveen Srivastava in 1st high-level diplomatic engagement
