Bhutan’s third King Jigme Wangchuck called upon President Draupadi Murmu. This meeting between the two took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier, Jigme Wangchuk had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral ties in several areas, including economic cooperation. King Wangchuk had also met NSA Ajit Doval. He had paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
King Wangchuck’s visit to India is taking place at a time when Bhutan’s PM has described Doklam as a dispute between three countries. EAM Jaishankar has said this visit will strengthen ties between India and Bhutan, and Bhutan’s Foreign Trade Minister Tandy Dorji and senior ministers have also come to India. Bhutan launched its first five-year plan for economic development in the 1960s, funded by India. In 2021, India opened 7 new trade routes to increase bilateral trade and gave Rs.
4500 crores to Bhutan for their 12th five-year plan. After the independence of India, there was a treaty between the two countries. It had many provisions, the most important of which was regarding the dependence of Bhutan in defense and foreign affairs. Over the years, amendments to this treaty have been made but provisions for mutual cooperation and expansion of economic cooperation have stayed intact.
