Nepal Foreign Minister Deuba to hold discussion with Jaishankar on Monday

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba will be a five-day visit to India beginning Sunday with an aim to explore ways to further expand bilateral ties, officials said.

Deuba is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, they said.

The Nepalese foreign minister's visit comes a week after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Kathmandu.

Nepal is an important neighbour for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship between the two sides.

The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states -- Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. PTI