New Delhi: Underlining the strategic ties between the two countries, Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Friday called India a “true friend and ally” while conferring the Order of the Druk Gyalpo — Bhutan’s highest civilian honour — upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Bhutanese monarch also stated that India’s progress provides reassurance for the neighbourhood.
His remarks come amid Bhutan and China agreeing to fast-track discussions over delimitation and demarcation of their disputed border, besides establishing diplomatic ties.
India has been closely monitoring the talks since the areas under discussion are near its borders with Bhutan, including Doklam which was the site of a military standoff between India and China in 2017.
Modi arrived in Paro Friday for a two-day trip, the last diplomatic visit of his second term as prime minister, with a message that India stands with Bhutan.
While delivering a speech at the award ceremony, the Bhutanese King said: “We all know that prime minister Modi has serious responsibilities with global implications…This award presented to prime minister Modi is a symbol of our gratitude to India, for having always been our true friend and ally, for our close unity and friendship.”
He added that for Bhutan, its neighbourhood is of vital importance and “Bhutan-India relations, particularly, is a unique and time-tested partnership”.
“It brings us great joy to see India succeed in every field, to see her global stature grow, and her people achieve greater prosperity. Bhutan also stands to benefit when India succeeds; we feel reassured about the future of our neighbourhood,” he said.
During the visit, India and Bhutan inked five agreements in areas of energy, pharma, space and more.
The External Affairs Ministry in a statement said both countries also agreed on and “initialled the text” for establishment and implementation of two proposed rail links which include the Kokrajhar-Gelephu and Banarhat-Samtse rail links. These routes seek to bolster trade and tourism between the two nations.
A week prior, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay visited Delhi, his first overseas visit since assuming office this January.
A joint statement from both sides noted that hydro-power cooperation has been an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and confirmed that the 1020 MW Punatshangchhu-II hydropower project will be commissioned by the end of this year.
There was also an agreement to expand the existing India-Bhutan energy partnership to non-hydro renewables, such as solar and wind.
Agreements on energy, pharma, space
During PM Modi’s visit to Bhutan, India signed an MoU agreeing to provide general supply of petroleum, oil and related products to Bhutan. A separate agreement was signed for energy efficiency and energy conservation measures, which includes the creation of a pool of energy professionals at Bhutan by institutionalising training of energy auditors.
On pharma, the two sides inked an agreement for exchanging information in the field of the regulation of medicines in accordance with the respective laws and regulations of each side. The MoU would allow for acceptance of Indian pharmacopoeia — an official publication containing a list of medicinal drugs — by Bhutan. This MoU also covers vigilance and testing of medicinal products.
The two sides also inked a Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) on space cooperation between National Knowledge Network of India (NKN) and Druk Research and Education Network of Bhutan.
When the Bhutan PM visited India last week, both sides lauded recent initiatives such as the technical capacity-building on remote sensing technology organised by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for Bhutan.
To ease the flow of agri and food products, an agreement was also signed between the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for fast-tracked export inspection certificates.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)