Indian Foreign Secretary Visits Bhutan as New Government Tales Charge

India took over the British colonial government's role in Bhutan, essentially making Bhutan a protectorate. Bhutan also is a critical country for India because Bhutan also shares a border with China. Thus, New Delhi is particularly sensitive about China-Bhutan relations, especially because any concessions to China by Bhutan on the border can negatively impact India's security. During the visit, Kwatra called on the prime minister as well as Foreign Minister D. N. Dhungyel in addition to holding discussions with his counterpart, Aum Pema Choden, on a range of subjects under the rubric of bilateral cooperation between India and Bhutan. Following the meeting with the king, the Indian mission in Bhutan tweeted that it was "An honour to receive the audience from His Majesty the King of Bhutan and benefit from his guidance on ways to further deepen the India-Bhutan unique ties of friendship." In other words, New Delhi was bending over backwards to please Thimpu. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs in a press release stated that the foreign secretary's "Visit is in keeping with the well-established tradition of regular exchanges between Bhutan and India, and to further strengthen the existing close ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries." Speaking about Kwatra's meetings, the press release said that it provided "An opportunity for wide ranging discussions on all aspects of the bilateral relationship including development partnership, 13th Five Year Plan, cooperation in energy, trade, technology, connectivity, infrastructure, economic ties, and people-to-people connections between the two countries." There exists no formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and China, due to Bhutan's policy of avoiding diplomatic relations with all U.N. Security Council permanent members.