Nepal Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle and Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar discussed ways to advance international cooperation at the NDTV World Summit 2026 in New Delhi, with the conversation focusing on disaster response, nutrition and clean energy. Jaishankar argued that cooperation should be practical, flexible and oriented towards results, rather than restricted by formal institutional structures. Wagle, meanwhile, highlighted Nepal’s priorities and praised India’s assistance during Nepal’s recent disasters. The session took place under the summit theme, “A World Between Orders.”
A call for practical cooperation
Jaishankar’s remarks centred on the form international cooperation should take. He said it should deliver practical results and remain flexible, rather than being bound to formal institutional arrangements. The emphasis was on outcomes: cooperation, in this view, is valuable when it can respond to shared needs and produce results, not simply because countries participate in an established structure.
The discussion put that approach alongside the issues Wagle raised. Disaster response, nutrition and clean energy are distinct areas, but each featured in the ministers’ exchange as a subject for cooperation. Their conversation connected Jaishankar’s broader point about how countries work together with Wagle’s focus on areas where cooperation matters to Nepal.
The summit’s theme, “A World Between Orders,” provided the setting for the exchange. Within that theme, the ministers addressed international cooperation not only as an institutional question but also through practical concerns. Jaishankar’s call for flexible, result-oriented engagement and Wagle’s focus on specific priorities formed the central strands of the discussion.
Nepal’s priorities and India’s assistance
Wagle raised disaster response as one of the topics for cooperation and praised India’s assistance during Nepal’s recent disasters. His remarks underscored the importance of support between the neighbouring countries when disasters occur. The discussion, as reported, did not specify the particular disasters or outline new assistance commitments, but it placed India’s past support among the issues Wagle chose to highlight.
Nutrition and clean energy were also part of the conversation. Wagle’s inclusion of these topics broadened the discussion beyond emergency response, bringing longer-term areas of cooperation into the exchange. Together, the subjects showed the range of issues raised: responding to disasters, addressing nutrition and pursuing clean energy. The ministers discussed these priorities at the summit, though the reported account did not detail specific programmes or agreements on them.
Wagle’s praise for India’s assistance gave the discussion a bilateral dimension, while the subject of international cooperation provided a wider frame. The exchange therefore brought together Nepal’s stated areas of interest and Jaishankar’s view that cooperation should be judged by its practical results. It also highlighted the role of flexible engagement in conversations that span several policy areas.
Discussion framed by a changing international order
The session formed part of the NDTV World Summit 2026, whose theme was “A World Between Orders.” The ministers’ exchange addressed how cooperation can work in that setting, with Jaishankar stressing flexibility and results and Wagle bringing forward issues relevant to Nepal. Rather than focusing only on formal structures, the conversation linked the idea of cooperation to concrete subjects raised during the session.
The reported discussion did not announce a new agreement or provide details of follow-up steps. Its significance, as presented, lay in the issues placed on the table and the approaches expressed by the two ministers. Jaishankar made the case for practical, flexible cooperation, while Wagle raised disaster response, nutrition and clean energy and acknowledged India’s help during Nepal’s recent disasters.
Taken together, the exchange connected a broad debate about international cooperation with specific areas of concern for Nepal and its relationship with India. The ministers’ conversation at the New Delhi summit framed cooperation as both a matter of approach and a way to address shared priorities. It also brought the summit’s theme into focus through a discussion centred on results, flexibility and the needs raised by the participants.
