KATHMANDU: Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Chief Samant Goel has held a meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Issuing a statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Oli’s Press Coordinator Surya Thapa confirmed the meeting between the Prime Minister and RAW Chief Goel.
Earlier on Wednesday, the RAW Chief-led nine-member team had arrived in Kathmandu. RAW’s senior officials Shashi Bhushan Singh Tomar and Arun Jain were also in the visiting team.
According to a high level source, the RAW-chief led team had arrived in Nepal from Bhutan. The team is scheduled to visit Afghanistan immediately after returning from Nepal, according to the source.
While the purpose for the visit by the chief of Indian foreign intelligence agency has not been made public, Prime Minister Oli’s Press Coordinator termed the meeting with the Prime Minister ‘a courtesy call’.
“He [the RAW Chief] had come to the Prime Minister’s official residence Baluwatar on Thursday evening,” read the statement. “During the meeting, he expressed his views on not allowing destabilizing India-Nepal friendly relations to continue, settlement of problems through dialogues and giving continuity to mutual cooperation,” the statement added.
RAW Chief Goel had met also with Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and main opposition Nepal Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.
According to a source, the RAW Chief had also met former Prime Minister Babu Ram Bhattarai. Prachanda, Nepal and Deuba, however, denied that they had held any meeting with the RAW Chief.
