Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who returned home on Monday after attending the Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit in Goa of India, described his meeting with leaders from the neighbouring countries as “rare and pleasant” and even went on to say that there were some surprises as well.

One particular meeting he was referring to was a session between him, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping late on Saturday evening.

After a photo of Dahal sitting with Modi and Xi emerged through Facebook, speculation machines had gone into overdrive in Kathmandu. Upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Dahal told reporters that the meeting had come as a “surprise” to him.

Stating that the meeting was merely a coincidence, Dahal said, “It was, however, a matter of pride for me.”

 Dahal’s joint meeting with Xi and Modi had taken place after his one-on-one meeting with Xi earlier.

“I was in the waiting lounge of the hotel where the Chinese president entered,” said Dahal, as he used the Nepali adage “dhunga khojda deuta bhetnu”, which translates into “finding god while looking for a stone idol”, giving a sense that Xi’s entry was a godsend [for him].

 “It came as a pleasant surprise to me,” added Dahal. “I had a heart-to-heart talk with him, as we held discussions on various issues including his [future] visit to Nepal, Nepal’s development endeavours and China’s assistance and internal political issues,” he added.  “After 20 minutes, Prime Minister Modi dropped in. He was also stuck in the same hotel due to some technical reasons.”

PM Dahal described that moment as a “rare and pleasant” coincidence.

A visibly thrilled Dahal even likened the sitting arrangement of the three leaders to Nepal’s geographical location, saying that he was in the middle with Xi sitting on the north and Modi on the south.

“I put forward the idea of trilateral strategic cooperation and partnership among three countries. Both leaders described the proposal as positive,” said Dahal. “This is a positive aspect, and we must take it in a good light. The meeting was not pre-planned.”

“In totality, I understand our two-day stay in Goa was fruitful,” Dahal concluded.