Due to unfavorable weather in Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State visit has been postponed. The two parties are currently determining the new dates, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Wednesday. March 21–22, Modi was supposed to visit Bhutan as part of the Indian government’s ‘Neighborhood First Policy’.
“Due to ongoing inclement weather conditions over Paro airport, it has been mutually decided to postpone the State visit of Prime Minister to Bhutan on 21-22 March 2024,” the ministry stated in a statement the day before the planned visit. “New dates are being worked out by the two sides through diplomatic channels,” it continued. The prime minister of Bhutan, Tobgay, embarked on his first overseas journey since taking up the position in January, a five-day visit to India last Thursday.
PM Modi to delay his official visit to Bhutan. What did the itinerary contain?
Just hours before his scheduled departure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Bhutan was canceled owing to persistent bad weather at Paro airport. To finalize fresh dates for the high-profile visit, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials are now collaborating with their Bhutanese colleagues. The decision has been made to postpone the Prime Minister’s state visit to Bhutan scheduled for March 21–22, 2024, due to the persistent unfavorable weather over Paro airport.
The two parties are negotiating new dates through diplomatic channels,” the MEA said in a statement. On Thursday, March 21, Prime Minister Modi was scheduled to go on a two-day state visit to Bhutan. The visit, according to the Indian government, was in line with the custom of frequent high-level meetings between New Delhi and Thimphu, with a focus on the Neighborhood First Policy.
The prime minister was expected to meet with both His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan, and His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan, during his visit. The MEA has announced that the prime minister was also expected to meet with Tshering Tobgay, his counterpart in Bhutan. The Bhutanese prime minister visited India for five days earlier this month. It was his first overseas trip since taking over as president in January.
However, the PM speaks with a counterpart from Bhutan
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese colleague Tshering Tobgay discussed bilateral relations as well as infrastructure and energy cooperation. India’s foreign ministry released a statement saying, “Both leaders reviewed the progress in various areas of bilateral partnership, including infrastructure development, connectivity, energy, hydropower cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and development cooperation.”
India is a significant contributor to Bhutan’s foreign development assistance, with increased support for its 13th five-year plan. Bhutan aims to deepen economic linkages with India through the Gelephu Special Administrative Region project, which has been attracting investments.
The leaders are also expected to discuss regional security issues, including Bhutan’s ongoing border negotiations with China. In October 2023, Bhutan and China held the 25th round of boundary talks, signing a cooperation agreement on the joint technical team’s responsibilities. Experts believe these talks could pave the way for formal diplomatic ties between Beijing and Thimphu.
