In advance of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Nepal, India recommends a new envoy

Naveen Srivastava, the chief of the external affairs ministry’s East Asia division, is regarded as a seasoned China expert.

People acquainted with the subject stated on Wednesday that India has formally offered Naveen Srivastava as its new ambassador to Nepal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the nation in mid-May.

Srivastava, who heads the external affairs ministry’s East Asia division, has been a key figure in diplomatic and military talks with China to resolve the two-year-old military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He will take over as Nepal’s envoy from Vinay Kwatra, who was appointed foreign secretary earlier this month.

According to persons acquainted with the situation in New Delhi and Kathmandu, the Indian side’s agrément, or the document formally seeking Nepal’s consent for Srivastava’s assignment, has been received by Nepal’s foreign ministry and is anticipated to be cleared soon.

Srivastava is the current head of the ministry’s China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Mongolia division, and is regarded as a seasoned China expert. Srivastava has participated in meetings of the Indian and Chinese military commanders to resolve the standoff on the LAC, in addition to leading the Indian side at meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border problems.