"We have been blessed with excellent relations with India": Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay

New Delhi [India], March 15 : Hailing the ties between the two nations, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dasho Tshering Tobgay, has said that Bhutan has been blessed with excellent relations with India, and added that he wants more Indians to visit Bhutan.
Addressing the 'India-Bhutan Tourism: Expanding Horizons' event in New Delhi on Friday, the Bhutan PM said that, the Himalayan nation wants to be a host to India.
"During my first visit to Delhi, I wanted to meet the captains of the industries in India and, more importantly, the drivers of tourism in India...We have been blessed with excellent relations with India. We want more Indians to visit Bhutan. We want other nationalities to visit Bhutan as well but India is our immediate neighbor, and we want to be your host," he said.
The Bhutanese PM, as he lauded ties between the nations, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "older brother," and said he was "overcomed with emotions" after meeting him.
"I met PM Modi yesterday and I was looking forward to visiting India after the recent elections and calling on my friend, and older brother, PM Modi. This visit has been very emotional for me, I know it's because of the meeting with PM Modi but I also realised that a large part of it is because I am back in Delhi, among friends," the Bhutan PM said.
Tobgay, as he went on to speak, said that both the countries not only share friendly ties but are also engaged with each other at the leadership level.
He said, "I will need your support as we move forward to share Bhutan with India because India, you share India with Bhutanese. As close as we are friends, India and Bhutan... as close as we are at the leadership level, and by leadership, I mean...India's leadership with Bhutan's King."
"As much development cooperation we do together, as much as we may cooperate at the international affairs, ultimately it's about people-to-people friendship and partnership that matters. From Bhutan. a small country, we have tens of thousands of pilgrims visiting India every year, we have thousands of patients seeking medical services, and we have many thousands of youth studying in India, training in India, working in India..." he said.
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is in India on an official visit, which is his first overseas visit after assuming office in February 2024.
He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday. During the meeting, Tobgay extended an invitation to his Indian counterpart to visit Bhutan next week. The invitation was accepted by Prime Minister Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release on Friday.
Tobgay was also called upon by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday, and he also met BJP President JP Nadda in the national capital as part of his visit.
Moreover, earlier today, the Bhutanese PM also called upon President Droupadi Murmu here.
India and Bhutan enjoy long-standing and exceptional bilateral ties characterised by utmost trust, goodwill, and mutual understanding at all levels. The visit provided an opportunity for the two sides to discuss various aspects of the multi-faceted bilateral ties and forge understanding to further cooperate across diverse sectors.