Foreign secy S Jaishankar meets Bhutan king, stresses unique ties

The ministry said the priorities of Bhutan for the twelfth five-year plan and bilateral cooperation in areas of trade and economic ties, hydropower cooperation, and people-to-people contacts, were also discussed.

Doklam, Doklam crisis, Doklam standoff, China, India, Foreign secretary S Jaishankar, S Jaishankar, Indian express

India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar (AP File Photo)

In his first visit since the Doklam crisis was resolved, Foreign secretary S Jaishankar has met Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, his father and predecessor Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and senior officials and emphasised the “unique” relations between the two countries which is characterised by “deep understanding and mutual trust”.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs statement, the two sides also shared their perspectives on regional and other issues of mutual interest. Sources told The Indian Express that they discussed Chinese actions and overtures in the past few months and made an assessment of their response to such activities. A source said that there has been outreach by the Chinese embassy in Delhi to the Bhutanese counterparts, and that was also part of discussions.

Jaishankar’s visit to Bhutan comes just over a month after the end of the tense border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam. This also comes in the wake of fresh reports of troop buildup on the Chinese side. He also met Bhutan Foreign Minister Damcho Dorji, besides holding wide-ranging talks with his counterpart Dasho Sonam Tshong.

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The Foreign Secretary held discussions on the complete range of bilateral relations, including implementation of the ongoing India-assisted projects under Bhutan’s eleventh five-year plan, it said.

The ministry said the priorities of Bhutan for the twelfth five-year plan and bilateral cooperation in areas of trade and economic ties, hydropower cooperation, and people-to-people contacts, were also discussed.

Shubhajit Roy

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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