Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reassured his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay of New Delhi's continued support to the neighbouring country in its pursuit for development.
Modi conveyed to Tobgay that India deeply valued its development partnership with Bhutan. He reaffirmed that India would continue to partner with Bhutan in pursuit of its development goals based on the priorities of its people.
Tobgay is on a visit to New Delhi. He called on President Ram Nath Kovind and also had a meeting with the prime minister. Modi is learnt to have shared with the Bhutanese prime minister the progress in India's discussion with China on settlement of the dispute over the boundary, particularly on India-Bhutan-China trijunction points.
Thimphu supported New Delhi last year when Indian Army had a 72-day-long military face-off with Chinese People's Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.
Modi and Tobgay held discussions “on a range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest”, according to a press-release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The prime minister complimented the people and the Royal Government of Bhutan on the neighbouring country's imminent graduation to a middle-income country, and for achieving economic progress while preserving its traditions and values, and combining sustainable development with enhanced happiness quotient of its people, the MEA spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, said.
The two prime ministers reviewed the bilateral economic and hydro-power co-operation. They agreed that the robust partnership in the hydro-power sector was mutually beneficial. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen collaboration in the hydropower sector in the spirit of close friendship and co-operation that characterize relations between India and Bhutan, the MEA stated.