India, Bhutan enjoy exemplary ties of friendship: MEA ahead of Bhutanese PM's visit

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay will pay a five-day visit to India beginning Thursday, his first foreign trip after assuming the charge of the top office in January.

Tobgay will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and call on President Droupadi Murmu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, announcing the Bhutanese leader's visit from March 14 to 18.

''India and Bhutan enjoy exemplary ties of friendship and cooperation, based on trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels,'' it said in a statement.

The Bhutanese leader is also scheduled to travel to Mumbai.

In a related development, the Union cabinet chaired by Modi 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 approved 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.

The MEA said Tobgay's visit will provide an opportunity to the two neighbouring countries to review the progress in their ''unique partnership'' and discuss ways to expand the ''enduring'' ties of friendship and cooperation between them.

The Bhutanese prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Bhutanese foreign and external trade minister, energy minister and industry and commerce minister.

''During the visit, the prime minister of Bhutan will call on President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral talks with the prime minister of India,'' the MEA said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the Bhutanese prime minister.

In January, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra travelled to Bhutan on a three-day trip, the first high-level visit to the Himalayan country from New Delhi after the formation of the new government under Tobgay.

Tobgay'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 implications for India's security interests.

Around five months ago, 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 advancing the political process of establishing diplomatic relations.

New Delhi has been keeping a close eye on the negotiations between Bhutan and China on their boundary row as it could have implications for India's security interests, especially in the Doklam tri-junction.

In August last year, Bhutan and China agreed to expedite and take simultaneous measures to implement a ''three-step roadmap'' to resolve their festering boundary dispute.

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.

The India-China stand-off in the Doklam plateau in 2017 even triggered fears of a larger conflict between the two neighbours. Bhutan had said the area belonged to it and India had supported the Bhutanese claim.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)