His Majesty the King today granted audience to the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador, Robert Blake, at the Lingkana Palace. Mr. Blake arrived in the country on a two-day visit on Tuesday.
The Assistant Secretary also called on the Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley at the Gyalyong Tshogkhang yesterday. Lyonchhoen and the Assistant Secretary spoke of Bhutan’s development process and Lyonchhoen’s recent visits to the remote parts of the country to see the progress of the development projects.
The two also spoke of food security and Bhutan’s goal to achieve cereal sufficiency, and the political developments in the country. The Assistant Secretary said that one of the difficult tasks in the region was to have a responsible and a responsive government. He, therefore, congratulated Lyonchhen and the government for the progress of development and for understanding the need to make themselves accountable in a responsible manner.
Assistant Secretary Robert Blake also extended collaboration in education to expand relations between the two nations- to attract more universities from the United States for the education city and for more Bhutanese to avail higher education in the universities in the US.
Mr. Blake served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Mission in New Delhi, India from 2003 to 2006, as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives from 2006 to mid-2009, and as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs from May 2009 to the present.
