Bhutan King Wangchuk To Begin 3-Day India Visit Today To Boost Economic Ties

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will visit to India for a three-day visit from April 3 to 5 with the goal of enhancing bilateral ties.

According to news agency PTI, his visit will be mainly focused on the fields of economic and development cooperation.

During his visit, the King will speak with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. Senior members of the Royal Government of Bhutan, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Tandi Dorji, will join him, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The King Wangchuk's visit, according to the MEA, continues the longstanding bilateral tradition of regular high-level contacts between India and Bhutan.

The MEA also stated that India and Bhutan have "unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterized by understanding and mutual trust".

Both nations will have the chance to evaluate all of their bilateral cooperation, including economic and development cooperation, during the visit. According to the MEA, it will also help to advance their strong bilateral relationship.

Bhutan is strategically important to India, and relations between the two nations in terms of security and defence have grown significantly in recent years. According to the PTI article, India's strategic interests are strongly tied to the Doklam plateau.

The Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a 73-day stalemate at the Doklam tri-junction in 2017 after Beijing attempted to build a road in a region that Bhutan claimed belonged to it. The construction was opposed by India because it would have threatened its overall security interests.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China agreed to a "three-step roadmap" to quicken negotiations to settle their long-running boundary dispute. Bhutan and China are separated by a 400 kilometre border. To settle the boundary disagreement, the two countries have held 24 rounds of negotiations.

From 1961, India has helped Bhutan implement each of its "Five Year Plans" and gave Bhutan particular support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bhutan's top trading partner is India. India is also Bhutan's largest investor.

India gave Bhutan's XII five-year plan Rs 4500 crore for different multi-sectoral initiatives, modest development projects, and direct budgetary support (2018-23).

Significant hydropower sector cooperation between the two nations has also taken place. India formally opened seven trade channels with Bhutan for bilateral and transit commerce in November 2021. This gave Bhutan's export of 12 agricultural items to India access to new markets and different special exemptions/quotas for export.

Also Read: OnePlus 11: Top variant with innovative features to launch in India, specs and all other details here

Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER