New Delhi: As the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in New Delhi, days after Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering raised eyebrows with his statement on China having an equal say in resolving the border dispute at Doklam, India said Tuesday that it follows all developments which have a bearing on its national interest “very closely” and will take all “necessary measures to safeguard them”.
Underlining that India and Bhutan share ties characterised by “trust, goodwill, mutual understanding,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, “India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest.”
Asked whether the Doklam issue figured in the talks, Kwatra, who was briefing reporters after Prime Minister Modi met the visiting King, said, “India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to security cooperation.”
“Besides this exemplary and unique relationship that India and Bhutan have, we also have a time tested framework of security cooperation. And as part of that, both countries maintain (a) long-standing tradition of very close consultation on matters relating to their mutual interest and of course, security also. Now, in this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident.”
“All I would say is that the Government of India very closely follows all developments, which have a bearing on our national interest, and we will take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.”
Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering’s recent comments sparked a controversy, as many in Delhi saw it as giving an upper hand to Beijing.
In an interview to the Belgian newspaper La Libre during his recent trip to Europe, he said: “Doklam is a junction point between India, China and Bhutan. It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem. We are three. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third. We are ready. As soon as the other two parties are also ready, we can discuss. India and China have problems all along their border. We are, therefore, waiting to see how they will resolve their differences.”
He was responding to questions on the ongoing Bhutan-China boundary talks, in the wake of the 2017 border Doklam border standoff.
Last Saturday, Prime Minister Tshering told The Bhutanese newspaper that he had said nothing new in his statements to the Belgian paper on Doklam and the Bhutan-China boundary talks. “I have said nothing new and there is no change in position.”
After meeting the King, Prime Minister Modi, in a Twitter post, said, “Pleased to receive His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We had a warm and productive meeting. Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights.”
