Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat left for Australia on Monday night in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties and explore avenues for cooperation. 

During the weeklong visit, he is scheduled to meet his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop, Minister for International Development and the Pacific Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and leader of the opposition (Australian Labour Party) Bill Shorten, among others, the Foreign Minister said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Minister Mahat told a press conference that he would be looking for possibilities of foreign direct investment from Australia in Nepal, broadening the areas of cooperation between the two countries, among others.   He will also participate as chief guest in the inaugural programme of Nepal Festival to be organised by the Non-Resident Nepali Association Australia in Sydney on November 26.