New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay to visit the neighbouring country next week during bilateral talks on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday. Tobgay is currently in India for his first overseas visit after assuming office in January this year.
According to an official statement, both leaders reviewed the progress in various areas of bilateral partnership, including infrastructure development, connectivity, energy, hydropower cooperation, people to people exchanges and development cooperation. PM Modi and Tobgay reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the special and unique India-Bhutan friendship.
"Glad to meet my friend and PM of Bhutan @tsheringtobgay on his first overseas visit in this term. Had productive discussions encompassing various aspects of our unique and special partnership. I convey heartfelt thanks to His Majesty the King of Bhutan and @PMBhutan for inviting me to visit Bhutan next week," said PM Modi on X.
The Bhutanese Prime Minister conveyed his deep appreciation for India’s role as a reliable, trusted and valued partner in Bhutan’s developmental priorities, and extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart to visit Bhutan next week, which the latter accepted.
In November last year, Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck paid an official visit to India and travelled to the Assam, New Delhi and Maharashtra. He and PM Modi held discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Bhutan PM's visit to India
Tobgay is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with President Droupadi Murmu during his five-day visit to India. He is accompanied by a delegation comprising Bhutan's Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Employment, and senior officials.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bhutan on extending cooperation in the field of energy efficiency. The Cabinet also cleared the signing of an agreement between the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for cooperation in the area of food safety.
“India and Bhutan enjoy exemplary ties of friendship and cooperation, based on trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels. The visit of the prime minister of Bhutan will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review the progress in our unique partnership and to discuss ways and means to expand the enduring ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan,” the MEA said in an earlier release.
Bhutan-China border dispute
In January, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra travelled to Bhutan on a three-day trip, in the first high-level visit from New Delhi after the formation of the new government under Tobgay. The Bhutan PM's visit to India comes against the backdrop of China and Bhutan looking at an expeditious resolution of their festering boundary row that could have major implications for India’s security interests.
Around five months back, Bhutan’s then-Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. A Chinese readout on the talks said Bhutan firmly abides by the one-China principle and stands ready to work with China for an early settlement of the boundary issue and advance the political process of establishing diplomatic relations.
In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on the "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their boundary dispute. The signing of the pact came four years after the Indian and Chinese armies were locked in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction after China tried to extend a road in the area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.
(with inputs from agencies)
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