Foreign Minister Damcho Dorji, and India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, today joined the Bhutanese community in celebrating the 38th birthday of His Majesty The King, at the Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi.
The celebration is also a special event to mark the golden jubilee of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Foreign Ministers lit the butter lamps to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday, as national anthems of Bhutan and India played at the background.
In her opening remarks, Sushma Swaraj said, India and Bhutan continue to share a great friendship of mutual trust and cooperation. She also recalled the gratitude and wisdom of the leaders in Their Majesties and successive leaders of India in laying a strong foundation for this unique friendship.
“Bhutan is very special to us and under the dynamic leadership of Their Majesties, it has continued to progress and develop in the region at a remarkable pace in last 5 decades. “Our relationship is unique in the sense we continue to enjoy peace and prosperity through this enduring friendship.”
The External Affairs Minister said today is a special day for both the countries and extended warm greetings to His Majesty The King on his 38th Birthday on behalf of the people and the government of India.
“2018 is a milestone for India as we celebrate 50 years of relation with Bhutan which we are proud of, our common ties and cooperation that are mutually benefitting.”
Lyonpo Damcho Dorji said the External Affairs Minister’s presence in gracing the occasion today is a reflection of genuine friendship the countries have for each other. “Bhutan has seen an unprecedented development in last five decades due to India’s assistance. “By supporting our Hydropower projects, the socio-economic development has improved. We attach high importance to India-Bhutan relations.”
On behalf of His Majesty and the people of Bhutan, Lyonpo thanked the government of India. “We look forward to our ever growing bilateral ties and partnership on the premise of goodwill and excellent cooperation,” said the minister.
Also at the event, the External Affairs Minister awarded prizes to essay competition winners to Bhutanese students studying in India. The essay was on ‘India-Bhutan relations and the views on how this relation can be further strengthened’.
The Ministers then jointly launched the 50th anniversary commemorative Bhutanese stamps, and the special quarterly magazine issue of ‘Bhutan Panorama’.
Royal Academy of Performing Arts, Artists from Bhutanese Film Industry, Bhutanese students, and Indian performers showcased various cultural programmes.
This year, Bhutan and India celebrates 50 years of diplomatic relations which was established in 1968.
