India and Bhutan– Relations at a Glance
|
Establishment of Relations |
1949 |
|
Brief History |
The basic framework of India- Bhutan bilateral relations was the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries, which was revised in February 2007.The India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty not only reflects the contemporary nature of our relationship but also lays the foundation for their future development in the 21st century. The special relationship has been sustained by the tradition of regular high level visits and dialogues. There are a number of institutional mechanisms between India and Bhutan in areas such as security, border management, trade, transit, economic, hydro-power, development cooperation, water resources. |
|
National Leaders – India |
President – Sri Ramnath Kovind Vice President – Sri Venkaiah Naidu Prime Minister – Sri Narendra Modi |
|
National Leaders – Bhutan
|
King- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Prime Minister- Lotay Tshering |
|
Key Visits to Bhutan (President, VP, PM) |
Prime Minister’s Visits: 1. 15-16 June, 2014 President’s Visit: 1. 7-8 November, 2014 |
|
Key Visits to India |
King’s Visit: 1. 6-10 January, 2014 2. October, 2014 3. October-November, 2017 4. 17 August, 2018 Prime Minister’s Visits: 1. 25-28 May, 2014 2. 10-18 January, 2015 3. 13-17 November, 2015. 4. January, 2016 5. May, 2016 6. October, 2016 7. 31st March, 2017 8. 5-7 July, 2018 |
|
Main Treaties and Agreements |
1. Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit 2016 2. Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, 1949 |
|
MOUs |
1. MoU on Technical Cooperation, 2016 2. MoU on cooperation in the field of electoral management and administration 3. MoU between India and South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) for cooperation on the response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian Seas Region 2018 |
|
Bilateral Trade – Last Three years |
Total Trade-
Major Exports (2018-19): 1. Mineral products 2. Machinery and mechanical appliances 3. Electrical equipments 4. Base metals 5. Vehicles Major Imports (2017-18): 1. Electricity 2. Ferrosilicon 3. Portland cement 4. Dolomite 5. Carbides of calcium carbides of silicon |
|
Key Officials |
Minister of External Affairs India – Smt. Sushma Swaraj. Minister of State for External Affairs India- Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh Foreign Secretary India – Vijay Gokhale Ambassador – India to Bhutan – Jaideep Sarkar Ambassador – Bhutan to India – Major General Vetsop Namgyel |
[RUNNING UPDATE – LAST UPDATED ON 4 MARCH TO INCLUDE YEARS 2014-2018 ONLY]
SOURCES:
- Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.
- Website of the Embassy of India in Thimpu, Bhutan.
- Website of the Embassy of Bhutan in New Delhi, India.