US President Donald Trump's special envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gore, arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday evening. Gore, who also serves as the US ambassador to India, has previously worked as a close aide to Trump.

Gore arrived in Kathmandu within 10 days of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Samir Paul Kapur returning from a visit to Nepal.

According to information received, Gore is scheduled to visit the Everest region along with Acting US Ambassador Scott Arbam.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, Gore will meet Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal on Friday. Gore will return to New Delhi on Saturday midnight.

As Gore is President Trump's special envoy, the US side wants Gore to meet Prime Minister Balendra Shah. But according to officials from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Shah has not decided to meet Gore.

In the past, most foreign diplomats visiting Nepal used to meet top political leaders, including the Prime Minister.

Even when Assistant Foreign Minister Kapoor, who arrived on a three-day visit to Nepal on April 20, requested a meeting, Prime Minister Shah did not meet him.

'Gore has received many requests to meet the Prime Minister. But the meeting has not been confirmed yet,' Deepa Dahal, a press and research expert for Prime Minister Shah, told The Kathmandu Post.

She said Prime Minister Shah is busy with good governance-related work. Gore's meeting with the Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary has been confirmed, she said.

According to officials familiar with the visit, Gore has a good network of contacts in Washington related to business and investment.

But Prime Minister Balen wants to establish a standard of meeting only with ministers or higher officials from foreign countries.

Previously, Gore was the White House Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Presidential Personal Office (PPO). His leadership team appointed a large number of employees in the federal government.

Gore has already held high-level meetings with heads of state and government of South Asian countries. That is why the American side is pushing for a meeting with Prime Minister Shah.

However, Shah is said to be steadfast in his stance not to meet with ambassadors and junior officials of any country. Shah had a group meeting with the ambassadors on April 8.

As President Trump's special envoy, Gore had met with Mohammad Yunus, the former chief advisor to the interim cabinet of Bangladesh, several times. He visited Bhutan in the second week of March and met with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

He reached Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the third week of March. He met with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and Foreign Minister Abdullah Khalil and Defense Minister Mohammad Ghassan Maumoon in Male.

However, Maldives President Mohammad Mujju postponed the meeting with Gore, citing the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran in West Asia.

Although Gore came to Kathmandu for the first time, he has already held talks with the leadership of the National Independent Party (NISP). On April 25, he called NISP President Ravi Lamichhane and congratulated the NISP on its victory in the elections.