During a visit with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Delhi on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to developing its exceptional friendship with Bhutan.
King Wangchuk, who was greeted at the airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, met with Prime Minister Modi in the afternoon to discuss bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas, including clean energy, trade and investment, space and technology.
The two leaders discussed the ‘Gelephu Mindfulness City’ program, a visionary project supported by Wangchuk to catalyze Bhutan’s development and build ties with neighboring border communities in India.
The King is accompanied by Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and senior officials of the Bhutanese government.
Following the talks, PM Modi hosted a lunch in honour of the Bhutanese King and the Queen.
“The meeting underscored the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan, reflecting the spirit of mutual trust, cooperation and profound understanding that underpins the bilateral relations between the two countries,” a government statement said.
The Prime Minister and Bhutanese King expressed delight with the great status of bilateral relations, which include development collaboration, clean energy partnerships, commerce and investment, space and technology cooperation, and people-to-people linkages, according to the statement.
“They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening this exemplary partnership across all sectors,” it said.
“The Prime Minister reiterated India’s strong commitment to the economic development in Bhutan, highlighting the doubling of India’s development support to Bhutan for its 13th five-year plan period,” the statement said. The Bhutanese King expressed gratitude to PM Modi and the people of India for their steadfast support for Bhutan’s aspirations for happiness, progress and prosperity.
Source: IE