Bhutan rolls out red carpet for Modi
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies

Thimpu, June 15 2014: A cutout outside Taj Tashi hotel in Thimpu, where Narendra Modi will stay during his two-day Bhutan visit on Sunday and Monday, read, "Welcome to our close friend, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi" .

And it was not the only message from Bhutan to Modi.

Another banner by the highway read, "We pray for the health and well-being of Prime Minister Narendra Modi" .

The quintessential tone of Modi's first foreign trip is that of friendliness and expectations.

Hundreds of schoolchildren cheered and waved the national flags of India and Bhutan as Modi arrived in this small Himalayan nation at 11.40 am local time (11.10am IST) to a red carpet welcome at the picturesque Paro International Airport.

\He was accompanied by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, national security advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh.

The Indian Prime Minister was greeted by his Bhutan counterpart, Tshering Tobgay, his Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials.

Tobgay described Modi as "a friendly person" and well disposed towards the country, a local daily reported.

The report also quoted Tobgay, who attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as saying that there were no specific issues to discuss between the two neighbours.

However, Modi's visit to Bhutan is being viewed as a bid to launch a drive to reassert Indian influence in the region by offering financial and technical help.

The Buddhist nation, wedged between India and China, is the closest India has to an ally in South Asia, a region of bristling rivalry where China is making inroads.

Modi's visit comes just ahead of the 22nd round of bilateral talks between Bhutan and China expected in July or August this year.

These talks, which began in 1986, are an effort to resolve the long-pending border dispute between the two nations.

Thimpu is keen to use the talks to have a better relationship with Beijing.

On Sunday, Modi will lay the foundation of a 600 MW hydroelectric power station in Bhutan and inaugurate a Parliament building constructed with Indian assistance.

A grand welcome will be accorded to the Indian Prime Minister after his meeting with Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the Bhutanese king, later in the day.

Next, Tobgay will host a banquet for Modi.

The king too will host a lunch in honour of the Indian delegation on Monday.

Comment