COUNTRY BRIEFS FOR MFA’S WEBSITE (Arranged in chronological order of the date of establishment of diplomatic relations) India Diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India were established in January 1968. The Golden Jubilee of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries was celebrated in 2018. H.E. Major General Vetsop Namgyel is the Ambassador of Bhutan to India, and H.E. Mrs. Ruchira Kamboj is the Ambassador of India to Bhutan. Bhutan and India enjoy strong bonds of friendship marked by trust, understanding, goodwill and mutually beneficial cooperation. His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the Third King of Bhutan, and India‟s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, were the chief architects who laid strong foundations for Bhutan-India relations. Successive leaders of the two countries have nurtured and further strengthened the special relations over the past many decades, and it is today a model of relations between two neighbours. India provides significant assistance to Bhutan‟s socio-economic development, the scope and substance of which have grown substantially since 1961 when Bhutan embarked on the process of planned development with the launching of its first Five Year Plan (FYP). Areas of engagements encompass collaboration in both multilateral arena and bilateral fields such as cultural exchanges, education, trade, hydropower and socio-economic development. Cooperation in the development of the hydropower sector in Bhutan is the centrepiece of the mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Bhutan and India. Today, India is Bhutan‟s largest development and most important trading partner both as a source and market for its trading goods and commerce. Moreover, as a landlocked country, all its third-country imports and exports transit through India. India is the biggest market for several of Bhutan‟s exports, including electricity, dolomite, ferrosilicon, and semi-finished products. One of the hallmarks of Bhutan-India relations is the tradition of regular exchange of high-level visits. His Majesty The King has undertaken several visits to India. In the recent past, His Majesty The King visited India as Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebration in 2013. In 2014, at the invitation of the President of India, His Majesty The King and Her Majesty the Queen were the first State Guests to stay at the refurbished wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Among the most remarkable of these visits was the State Visit in November 2017 to India when His Majesty was accompanied by His Royal Highness Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck. At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, H.E. Lyonchhen Dr. Lotay Tshering visited India twice: State Visit from 27-29 December 2018, and to attend the Swearing-in- Ceremony of Prime Minister Modi on 30 May 2019. Bhutan also receives, at regular intervals, visits at the levels of Head of State and Head of Government from India. It was a deep honour for the people of Bhutan to welcome H.E. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, for his second visit to Bhutan from 17-18 August 2019. Bhutan was his first foreign trip as Prime Minister in June 2014 and among the first after his re-election in 2019. In November 2014, the 1 Late President Pranab Mukherjee made a State Visit to Bhutan within a few months after Prime Minister Modi‟s visit. Bangladesh Relations between Bhutan and Bangladesh date back to the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country in 1971. On 6th December 1971, Bhutan became the first country to recognize the independence of Bangladesh. The year 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of Bhutan‟s recognition of Bangladesh‟s independence and the launching of the year-long celebrations to mark the special occasion was graced by the Prime Ministers of the two countries on 6 December 2020. As a gesture of profound gratitude and to cherish Bhutan‟s contribution to the Liberation War, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the Third King of Bhutan, was posthumously awarded the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour in 2012. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 12 May 1973. H.E. Mr. Rinchen Kuentsyl is the current resident Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh. H.E. Mr. A.K.M. Shahidul Karim is the current resident Ambassador of Bangladesh to Bhutan. Besides being close neighbours, Bhutan and Bangladesh enjoy mutually beneficial collaboration and engagements in the fields of trade, cultural cooperation, people-to-people contacts, human resource development, agriculture, healthcare, standards and civil aviation. Trade is the most visible aspect of the relations between the two countries, and Bangladesh is today the second biggest export destination for Bhutan and the eighth largest source market for imports. Apart from these bilateral engagements, Bhutan and Bangladesh also work together in regional and international fora. Kuwait Diplomatic relations between Bhutan and the State of Kuwait was established on 23 May 1983, with the opening of the office of the Bhutanese Consulate General in Kuwait. The Consulate was later upgraded to an Embassy on 23 April 1986. Kuwait is the only country in the Middle East where Bhutan has a resident diplomatic mission. H.E. Mr. Tshering Gyaltshen Penjor is the current resident Ambassador of Bhutan to Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Resident Embassy was established on 29 December 2010. Mr. Fadel Haider Saud Alhasan, Charge d‟Affaires, has been serving as the Head of the Kuwaiti Resident Embassy in Thimphu since 30 April 2017. Bhutan and Kuwait enjoy warm relations guided by the relationship between the Royal Families of the two countries. There has also been regular exchange of high level visits. Economic cooperation between Bhutan and Kuwait has been channeled mainly through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), which commenced its operations in Bhutan in 1983. Besides providing loans, KFAED has provided Technical Assistance for the feasibility studies for various Industrial Estate Development projects in Bhutan. Since 2015, numerous Bhutanese have been working in the hospitality and service sectors in Kuwait. Their recruitment is conducted by authorized Bhutanese agencies and their counterparts 2 overseas. The overall recruitment process is monitored by the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources. Nepal Bhutan established diplomatic relations with Nepal in 1983. The Ambassador of Bhutan in New Delhi is accredited to Nepal, while Nepal‟s Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Bhutan. H.E. Major General V. Namgyel is the current Ambassador of Bhutan to Nepal and H.E. Mr. Nilamber Acharya is the current Ambassador of Nepal to Bhutan. Cooperation between Bhutan and Nepal are in the areas of civil aviation, tourism, and human resource development. The two countries also cooperate closely in the multilateral fora. Maldives Diplomatic relations between Bhutan and the Maldives were established on 20 July 1984. The Maldivian Ambassador in New Delhi is accredited to Bhutan, and the Bhutanese Ambassador in Dhaka is accredited to the Maldives. H.E. Mr. Rinchen Kuentsyl is current Ambassador- designate of Bhutan to the Maldives and H.E. Dr. Hussian Niyaz is the current Ambassador of the Maldives to Bhutan. Although Bhutan and the Maldives have limited interactions in terms of bilateral cooperation, the two countries work closely in the regional and multilateral fora. Netherlands Diplomatic relations between the Kingdoms of the Netherlands and Bhutan were established on 10 June 1985. Dutch interests in Bhutan were represented by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), which was established in Thimphu in 1988, with a Country Director to dispatch development associates and to channel Dutch bilateral assistance. Prior to the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Netherlands rendered assistance to Bhutan through UNICEF. H.E. Mrs. Pema Choden, Ambassador of Bhutan in Belgium, is accredited to the Netherlands. Mr. Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India, is concurrently accredited to Bhutan. The total Dutch assistance to Bhutan from the 4th Plan (€ 0.055 million) to the 10th Plan (€ 10 million as General budget support) was € 54.185 million. The Dutch Government supported an ORIO grant of € 11.358 million for the Lhamoizingkha - Gesarling - Dagana Highway in 2010. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency has initiated a detailed technical study on flood protection alongside Mou River in Gelephu and explored the possibility of land reclamation with fund support of € 630,000. 3 The Prince Claus Fund (Amsterdam) and the World Monuments Fund (New York) have supported the restoration of Drametse Lhakhang (€ 17,500) and Trashigang Dzong (€ 52,500) through Bhutan Fund. A Multi Year Agreements (MYA) under Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) was successfully completed with the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources and Royal Audit Authority with a total fund support of € 1,238,245 for short courses, Master Degree, PhD and tailor made training. The Clingendael Institute has collaborated with RIGSS for the Bhutan Foreign Service Program (BFSP) and has lectured at BFSP I and II. The Clingendael Institute regularly invites one junior Bhutanese Foreign Service Officer to attend a two weeks course on “Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation for SAARC countries and the SAARC Secretariat'' at the Hague. European Union Diplomatic relations between Bhutan and the European Union (EU) were established on 9 August 1985. However, engagement between Bhutan and the EU started even earlier in 1982 when the first agreement on the Plant Protection Services Project was signed. H.E. Mrs. Pema Choden, Ambassador of Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Belgium, is accredited to both the European Council and the European Commission. H.E. Mr. Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the EU to India, is concurrently accredited to Bhutan. The EU Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2007-2013 outlined EU‟s support to Bhutan in the 10th Plan, with a total commitment of € 14 million of which 60 percent was allocated to the RNR Sector, 20 percent to Good Governance and the remaining 20 percent to Trade Facilitation.