Kathmandu, Sept. 16: Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Wednesday reflected on his diplomatic assignment after paying back-to-back farewell visits to Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal and Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singha Durbar.

During his meeting with the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Srivastava expressed his gratitude towards the Nepal Government and thanked Minister Khanal for his continued support in boosting bilateral ties.

In a post on X, Ambassador Srivastava wrote, "Honoured to call on Hon. Foreign Minister Mr Shisir Khanal for a farewell meeting. Conveyed appreciation for his continued support for strengthening multifaceted ties."

"Recalled that in the last few years significant progress had been achieved in deepening our partnership across all areas including energy, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people linkages," he added.

During his meeting with Ambassador Srivastava, Foreign Minister Khanal congratulated the Indian diplomat on the "successful completion of his tenure," while appreciating his efforts toward "further deepening multifaceted ties" between the two nations.

Foreign Minister Khanal highlighted key progress made during Ambassador Srivastava’s tenure, citing "major milestones in energy cooperation, trade, and infrastructure connectivity as well as people-to-people relations."

He further expressed his "deep gratitude for the solidarity and swift disaster relief support" provided by India following the disastrous floods in the Bhote Koshi River. Extending his best wishes for future endeavours, the Minister expressed confidence that Ambassador Srivastava "will continue to remain a good friend of Nepal."

Noting the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal wrote in a post on X, "Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Shisir Khanal received Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Nepal, for a farewell call at the Ministry this afternoon. On the occasion, Minister Khanal congratulated Ambassador Srivastava on the successful completion of his tenure while appreciating his efforts to further deepen multifaceted ties of Nepal-India relations. He highlighted major milestones in energy cooperation, trade, and infrastructure connectivity as well as people-to-people relations."

"Foreign Minister further expressed his deep gratitude for the solidarity and swift disaster relief support to Nepal in the aftermath of the disastrous floods in Bhote Koshi River. Foreign Minister also extended his best wishes to the Ambassador for his future endeavours and expressed confidence that he will continue to remain a good friend of Nepal," it added.

The Ministry added that in response, Ambassador Srivastava expressed his "deep appreciation to the Government of Nepal for all the support and cooperation extended" throughout his tenure, sharing his hope that "Nepal-India relations will continue to flourish in the days ahead."

In a separate interaction, Ambassador Srivastava called on Foreign Secretary Rai to mark the conclusion of his assignment.

Expressing his gratitude, the Indian envoy wrote in a post on X, "Called on Foreign Secretary @amritrai555 for farewell meeting earlier today. Recalled considerable progress made in our bilateral relations over the last few years, and thanked him and @MofaNepal colleagues for their support throughout my tenure in Nepal."

Reflecting on their meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal stated that the Secretary commended Srivastava's contribution in "further strengthening Nepal-India relations" and wished him the best for his future missions.

"Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Nepal, paid a farewell call on Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, at the Ministry on Wednesday. On the occasion, the Foreign Secretary appreciated the contribution of the Ambassador in further strengthening Nepal-India relations and acknowledged his active role in achieving significant progress in the areas of energy, cross border infrastructure and people to people relations. He also extended his best wishes for his future endeavours," the Ministry wrote on X.

"Ambassador Srivastava expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Nepal for all the support and cooperation that he received during his tenure in Nepal," it added.

The meetings come against the backdrop of the ongoing rescue and relief operations by joint Indian and Nepali teams following the devastating flash floods that hit the nation last month.

Nearly three weeks later, rescue teams working round the clock at the Chilime hydropower tunnel are closer than ever to reaching six people believed to be trapped inside.

But the final stretch of the operation remains the most challenging, with rescuers battling water inside the tunnel and a negative slope that is making it difficult to clear debris and pump out water.

The Indian and Nepali teams have so far cleared about 150 metres of the tunnel and are now around 50 metres from the powerhouse, where the trapped workers are believed to be.

Nepali MP and hydromechanical engineer Sagar Dhakal, who has been involved in the rescue operation for the past 18 days, said the teams were working through the night and were hopeful of making further progress on Tuesday, provided they did not encounter another major obstruction.

“With the machines, we have raised roughly 100 metres plus, and then with the people, we have reached 150 metres plus in the tunnel. The tunnel itself is roughly 220 metres, so we are still yet to reach the 50 metres plus,” Dhakal told ANI in an exclusive interview near the tunnel site.

Lauding the Indian Army’s swift on-ground support and technological interventions during ongoing disaster relief operations, Nepali MP and hydromechanical engineer Sagar Dhakal expressed gratitude to the Government of India, highlighting a high level of bilateral coordination on the front lines.

"The Indian teams have also brought new technologies and innovative ideas. For example, they introduced a chemical that helps separate mud from water, making it possible to walk over mud sludge more safely. That proved to be very useful. I have shared this knowledge with my own team as well, as it is important to have such resources available as a backup," he explained.

The joint rescue operation was launched following severe flash floods and mudslides that deposited heavy slush, rock debris, and water inside the tunnel complex.