President of India to visit Bhutan
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to arrive in Bhutan on the 7th of November 2014 on a two state visit. The President will be leaving for India on the next day on the 8th of November. According to India media reports President Pranab Mukherjee is all set to visit Bhutan next week from November 7 to 8, to meet the Bhutanese leadership. This will be the second high-level visit in the last five months, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen Bhutan as his first bilateral visit overseas. It remains to be seen whether the Bhutanese reciprocate the warmth in the coming months.
The President of India is the head of the state in India and enjoys the most prestigious position in India’s Parliamentary Democracy. In terms of protocol the President of India is even ahead of the Indian Prime Minister.
The visit is expected to strengthen the good and friendly relations be- tween the two countries and the president is expected to have an audience with His Majesty the King and Prime Minister Tshering Togbay.
During the visit of His Majesty the King and the Queen to India in January this year the president in a banquet hosted in the honor of the visiting dignitaries said “The unique and special relations of India and Bhutan are based on shared strategic perceptions, utmost trust, goodwill, transparency and sensitivity to each other’s concerns and vital interests”
He added “The Government and people of India attach the highest priority to relations with Bhutan. It would be India’s endeavour to further strengthen these ties in a spirit of partnership for mutual benefit. The Government of India has always been happy to contribute to Bhutan’s socio-economic progress by sharing its knowledge and experience with Bhutan. India would like to reassure Bhutan of its continued commitment to capacity building in Bhutan”.