Joint Press Release on the Official Visit of Prime Minister of Bhutan to India (18.1.2015)

January 18, 2015

At the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay, the Prime Minister of Bhutan made an official visit to India from 10-18 January 2015. The Prime Minister’s itinerary included visits to Ahemadabad, Gujarat from 11-13 January, New Delhi from 14-15 January, Varanasi and Bodhgaya from 16-18 January 2015.

The Prime Minister of Bhutan was accompanied by his spouse Aum Tashi Doma, Hon’ble Foreign Minister Rinzin Dorji, Hon’ble Economic Affairs Minister Norbu Wangchuk and other senior officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan.

While in Ahemadabad, the Prime Minister of Bhutan attended the Vibrant GujaratSummit and also visited a number of very successful projects initiated by Prime Minister Shri Modi in Gujarat such as the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), Solar Park, Kaushal Vardhan Kendra (Skill Development Institute), Sabarmati river front, Garima Park and Kids City. Further, Prime Minister also visited the Buddhist sites in Vadnagar.

On 11th January 2015, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay addressed the inaugural session of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit along with several other visiting dignitaries. The Summit was preceded by a breakfast meeting hosted by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi for the visiting dignitaries. Prime Minister Shri Modi also hosted a lunch for the visiting dignitaries.

On 10th January 2015 afternoon, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay met Prime Minister Shri Modi and had wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the existing very close ties of friendship and understanding between India and Bhutan and reiterated their resolve to further strengthen their cooperation.

The two Prime Ministers agreed that cooperation in the field of hydropower was mutually beneficial and a win-win situation for both countries. They expressed satisfaction over the progress of the three ongoing HEPs totaling 2940 MW under the inter-governmental model. They reiterated their commitment to the 10,000 MW initiative and in this context to the early implementation of the four JV-model projects, totaling 2120 MW.

The Prime Minister of Bhutan also had a meeting with the Chief Minister of Gujarat Smt. Anandiben Patel. They discussed areas of cooperation between Bhutan and Gujarat including promotion of investments from Gujarat in Bhutan and other business links.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister of Bhutan called on the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He had meetings with Shri Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Shri Manohar Parrikar, Minister of Defence, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Power, Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor and Smt. Sujatha Singh, Foreign Secretary .

The meetings were held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, reflecting the spirit of mutual trust, cooperation and understanding that characterize the unique and special relations between the two countries.

From 16-18 January, Prime Minister of Bhutan visited the holy sites in Varanasi and Bodhgaya. In Bodhgaya, the Prime Minister of Bhutan was presented a sapling of the Bodhi tree as a gift by the people of India to the people of Bhutan during a very special year when the Bhutanese people are celebrating the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan.

The visit of the Prime Minister of Bhutan to India reinforced the tradition of regular visits at the highest levels, and extensive exchange of views between close friends. It further strengthened the excellent bilateral relations between India and Bhutan.

Bodhgaya
January 18, 2015