King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, will be on a three-day visit to India from April 3.
He will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Dr Tandi Dorji and senior officials of the Bhutan Government. The visit is in keeping with the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.
During the visit, the King of Bhutan will meet with President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and senior officials will call on the visiting dignitary.
It is worth mentioning that even as Bhutan has been engaged in talks with the Chinese authorities over boundary issues since 1983-84, Thumpu has reportedly assured that it is not trying to reach any agreement/understanding with Beijing on the Bhutan-India-China tri-junction boundary point near Doklam Plateau.
In 2017, there was a nearly three-month-long stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese side at Doklam.
An MEA statement said, “India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, characterised by understanding and mutual trust. The visit would provide an opportunity to both the sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and to further advance the close bilateral partnership, including economic and development cooperation”.
Sources said after his arrival here on April 3 afternoon, Dr S Jaishankar would call on the visiting King in the evening.
The visiting dignitary will lay a wreath at Rajghat in the National capital and pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on April 3.
His crucial meeting with PM Modi and President Droupadi Murmu will also take place on April 4.
Analysts feel various issues could figure at the discussions between PM Modi and King Jigme, including matters related to China. Both Bhutan and China are lately engaged in boundary talks.
The Bhutanese King last met PM Modi in September 2022 when he made a halt in Delhi on his way to attend British Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. PM Modi and Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering last met for bilateral talks in Thimphu in August 2020. Both the leaders have of course, held tele talks more than once.
In a recent interview published in Belgium, Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said that the talks between China and his country have already reached an advanced stage.
Notably, Beijing in 2020 staked claim on the Sakteng Sanctuary in Eastern Bhutan as part of its own territory. Bhutan has rejected the claims, nevertheless. Crucially for strategic understanding in the region, Thimphu and Beijing have been holding negotiations to settle the boundary dispute since the 1980s.
It is stated that the territorial row between the two nations was originally limited to 764 sq kms of areas – 269 sq km in the West and 495 sq km in North-Central Bhutan.
