‘Welcome, my elder brother’: Bhutan PM Tobgay accords warm welcome to PM Modi

Mangalore Today News Network/News18

New Delhi, Mar 22, 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bhutan on Friday for a two-day visit. Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay received PM Modi as he landed at the Paro Airport and addressed him as his elder brother in a tweet marking the Prime Minister’s visit as well as warm ties between India and Bhutan.

 

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay received PM Modi as he landed at the Paro Airport and addressed him as his elder brother in a tweet marking the Prime Minister’s visit as well as warm ties between India and Bhutan.

 

भूटान में आपका स्वागत है, मेरे बड़े भाई। @narendramodi Ji pic.twitter.com/Kjc87llncg

— Tshering Tobgay (@tsheringtobgay) March 22, 2024

“Welcome to Bhutan, my elder brother, PM Narendra Modi ji,” Tobgay said in a post on social media site X as he received the Prime Minister and also shared a glimpse of the preparations being made to welcome Modi to the Himalayan kingdom.

“On the way to Bhutan, where I will be attending various programmes aimed at further cementing the India-Bhutan partnership. I look forward to talks with Majesty the King of Bhutan, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay,” PM Modi said before his departure.

He was initially expected to visit the neighbouring nation on Thursday but postponed his visit due to inclement weather. A report by The Hindu said he is due to receive Bhutan’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo. Modi will also inaugurate the Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital in Thimphu, a state-of-the-art hospital, built with the assistance of the Government of India in Thimphu, news agency PTI said in a report.

The report said that Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will present the award to PM Modi to appreciate his efforts towards strengthening India-Bhutan ties and also for providing the first round of 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in 2021.

The PM’s visit comes after Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay’s visit to Delhi. The report by The Hindu pointed out that it is unusual that the visit comes a week after Tobgay’s visit to Delhi but the trip is aimed to show India’s commitment to Bhutan and to the government’s “neighbourhood first” policy.

He will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Tashichhodzong complex and will also have an audience with the Bhutanese king. He will also exchange signed MoUs with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on cooperation on energy conservation and food safety standards.

Ahead of Modi’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement also said that India and Bhutan share “a unique and enduring partnership which is rooted in mutual trust, understanding and goodwill”.

“The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan and the government’s emphasis on its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’,” the MEA said.

“India and Bhutan share a unique and enduring partnership which is rooted in mutual trust, understanding and goodwill. Our shared spiritual heritage and warm people to people ties add depth and vibrancy to our exceptional relations,” the ministry said.

The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to”exchange views on bilateral and regional matters of interest and deliberate on ways to expand and intensify our exemplary partnership for the benefit of our people”, the statement added.