Putting South Asia first in his foreign policy calculus, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading on his first foreign trip to Bhutan, a nascent Himalayan democracy and a country that enjoys special time-tested relations with New Delhi.
Mr Modi will be heading on a two-day visit to Thimphu later June, reliable sources told India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org). Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesperson of India’s foreign office, confirmed the prime minster’s trip to Thimphu on June 6. “I can confirm that the hon’ble Prime Minister will be undertaking his first visit abroad to Bhutan.
“As you are all aware, India and Bhutan enjoy a special and unique relationship. It has been sustained by regular visits and extensive exchanges at the highest level between the two countries. In the light of these special relations, the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting Bhutan on his first visit later during the month,” he said in New Delhi.
The choice of Thimphu makes perfect sense as the India-Bhutan relations, cited as a model of good-neighbourliness, are without parallel and have adapted well to the changing realities in the Himalayan state, which is navigating its own journey towards democracy and modernity. With the mercury soaring in Delhi, Bhutan, an idyllic country known for measuring its national wealth in terms of gross national happiness (GNP), also makes a picture-perfect sojourn for a quick goodwill trip and a well-deserved break from the debilitating heat.
The trip also comes at a time when China is rapidly making inroads into the Himalayan state and has launched a charm offensive to court the Bhutanese leadership.
At the forthcoming talks, the two countries will be looking to scale up economic, energy and security ties. Both sides have enormous stakes in this relationship, which is based on trust, win-win outcomes, specially in hydropower sector, and reciprocity. If India has been generous with funds and developmental assistance, Bhutan has consistently backed India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and backed its position in international fora. Among other important issues, Thimphu has backed New Delhi’s position on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran.
India remains Bhutan’s largest trading and development partner. Over the years, a large chunk of India’s developmental assistance in form of loans, grants and lines of credit has been committed to Bhutan.
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Manish Chand is Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network, www.indiawrites.org, an online magazine and journal focused on international affairs and the India Story. Follow him on twitter@scepticcryptic)
Author Profile
- Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.
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