Bhutan’s Foreign secretary Aum Pema Choden visit to India

Bhutan’s Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden is on a visit to India and met the Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra to further strengthen the bilateral relations. 

Both the foreign secretary chaired the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Dialogue held in New Delhi on 29 July 2023. In the talks, the Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutan's 13th five-year plan starting in 2024. India is a major funder of Bhutan’s five year plan.

• It was agreed that both sides would continue to work to further strengthen such cooperation in the light of the Joint Statement issued during the visit of King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to India in April this year.

India-Bhutan Relations:

• The basic framework of India-Bhutan bilateral relations is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed between them in the year 1949. According to which both the countries have talked about not interfering in each other's internal affairs. In this, the treaty was revised in the year 2007.

• Bhutan agreed to let India guide its foreign policy.

• India and Bhutan have several institutional and diplomatic mechanisms in areas such as security, border management, trade, transit, economic, hydropower, development cooperation, water resources, etc.

Indian states along the Bhutanese border:

• Bhutan shares its border with four states of India- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim. 

• The length of  India’s international border with Bhutan is  699 km.

• Hydro-electric projects have been built in Bhutan with Indian cooperation, mainly Chukha (336 MW), Kurich (60 MW), Tala (1020 MW), and Mangdechhu.

Bhutan:

Bhutan is a monarchy which is also known as ‘Land of Thunder’.

• Capital: Thimphu

• Currency: Nagultram (New, BTN)

• King: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

• Prime Minister: Lyonchen Lotay Tshering

• Foreign Minister: Lyonpo Tandi Dorji