NEW DELHI: Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will begin an eight-day visit to India on November 3. This will be the king's sixth visit to India after his coronation in November 2008.
The Bhutanese King had earlier visited India in April this year, which generated considerable interest, particularly due to the increased attention on the Doklam issue. Doklam is an area disputed between China and Bhutan located near their tri-junction with India.
During his visit, the King will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Additionally, the Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that the External Affairs Minister and other senior Indian government officials will call on the King of Bhutan during his visit. His itinerary also includes visits to the Indian states of Assam and Maharashtra.
"India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterised by understanding and mutual trust. The visit would be an opportunity for both sides to review the gamut of bilateral cooperation and to advance the exemplary bilateral partnership, across diverse sectors," according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
India-Bhutan border shares an international border that is 699 km long and adjoins the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim. Bhutan has time and again reiterated that it stands by India’s security, and will not take any steps that will compromise India’s security.
However, Bhutan and China have been holding border talks since 1984, and in 2021, they agreed to initiate a three-step measure to resolve the boundary dispute.
India remains an important stakeholder in the border dispute between Bhutan and China, given the importance of the trijunction to India’s security. There have been reports suggesting that China has been insisting on swapping territory with Bhutan by offering 495 sq km in the disputed Jakarlung and Pasamlung valleys in the north with 269 sq km in the west at the Doklam trijunction that will provide China strategic control over Chumbi Valley having implications for India’s security.
It may be noted that China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently held talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Dr Tandi Dorji in Beijing recently.