The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, arrived in the country this morning. This is Mr. Modi’s first visit to a foreign nation after assuming office as the Prime Minister of India.
Narendra Modi was received by the Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, and Cabinet Ministers. He was also presented with a guard of honour by the armed forces.
On his way to Thimphu from Paro, Mr. Modi was greeted by thousands of students and people, singing songs and waving the Bhutanese and Indian flags.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the joint sitting of Parliament and will also lay the foundation stone of the 600 -Megawatt Kholongchhu Hydropower Project tomorrow.
Prime Minister Modi had said earlier that relations with Bhutan would be a key foreign policy priority of his government.
Mr. Modi said that Bhutan and India enjoy a unique and special relationship, which has been forged by ties of geography, history and culture. Mr. Modi added that Bhutan as the destination for his first visit abroad as Prime Minister was a natural choice.
Mr. Modi said that people-to-people contact is an important aspect of Bhutan-India bilateral relations. He said that he intends to discuss with the Bhutanese leadership, how to further strengthen the contacts between the two countries, particularly among the youth.