India, Bhutan Foreign Secys meet, discuss partnership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra met visiting Bhutanese Foreign secretary Pema Choden on Saturday and conveyed India’s commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the neighbouring Himalayan nation.

“Pleased to receive Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden of Bhutan after the India-Bhutan Development Cooperation talks this evening. Discussed our support for Bhutan’s development aspirations,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.

The top Bhutanese diplomat is on an official visit to India from July 28 to 29, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.

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“The two foreign secretaries reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, and discussed ways to further strengthen it across diverse sectors,” it said in a statement.

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It said the Bhutanese side shared details regarding Bhutan’s 13th Five Year Plan during the talks.