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shiffali - June 27, 2009 - 0 comments
With the new Indian government placing top priority on building better ties with its neighbours, it is fitting that the first visit by a foreign leader to New Delhi during the second tenure of the ruling coalition should be from Bhutan, with whom New Delhi enjoys special friendship sans any problems.
Thinley's visit comes barely two weeks after External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visited the idyllic Himalayan state that saw India reaffirming its close and friendly ties with Bhutan.
Thinley, who comes here to felicitate the new government, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday and discuss a host of bilateral and regional issues.
He will also call on President Pratibha Patil and meet Congress chief and ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chair Sonia Gandhi.
Bhutan's Foreign Secretary Daw Penjo, Economic Affairs Secretary Dasho Sonam Tshering and other senior government officials will be accompanying the Bhutanese prime minister.
The goodwill trip is expected to build upon key areas of bilateral cooperation that were in the spotlight during Krishna's visit to what he described as the "kingdom of happiness" - a reference to Bhutan's unique way of measuring national wealth in terms of gross domestic happiness and not gross domestic product.
The visit comes at a time when the two countries are bracing to enhance their cooperation in hydro power generation and expand the canvas of the development partnership.
India is understood to have identified places where it wants to set up new hydel power projects. The two sides are expected to focus on revenue-sharing arrangements for these power projects during the delegation-level talks.
India sees its bilateral ties with Bhutan as a "a model of good neighbourliness". The two countries imparted a contemporary complexion to the ties by revising the 1949 treaty of peace and friendship two years ago that gave Thimphu more freedom in conducting its foreign policy and defence purchases.
During his day-long visit to Thimphu, Krishna flagged off the first Taro-Bagdogra (Assam) flight of Bhutan's Druk Air that is set to spur greater connectivity and promote trade and tourism between the two neighbours. He also announced a new series of scholarships for students from the Himalayan kingdom to study in prestigious Indian institutions.
-IANS
