Breaking protocol, Nepal PM to receive Modi

Breaking protocol, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala will receive his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi when he lands in Kathmandu August 3 on a two-day visit.

A special welcome ceremony will be organised at the Tribhuvan International Airport. There will be a guard of honour for Modi, who will be accompanied by a delegation.

Dinesh Bhattarai, the foreign relations advisor to Koirala, told IANS that the prime minister himself would welcome Modi.

"This reflects the importance Nepal is attaching to Modi's visit," he said.

Modi's trip is widely seen in Nepal as a major diplomatic event, as the Himalayan nation will be receiving an Indian prime minister on a bilateral visit after 17 long years.

In 2006, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh had received his Nepali counterpart, Girija Prasad Koirala, at the New Delhi airport.