Guwahati, December 17: At the invitation of the Royal Government of Bhutan, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is undertaking a four-day official visit to the kingdom, met Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck today and discussed on strengthening the historical ties between Assam and Bhutan and advancing collaborative efforts between the two regions.
The discussion also focussed on fostering Bhutan’s development, enhancing the welfare of its people, and promoting broader regional economic development.
Dr. Sarma in another meeting held over lunch with Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Togbay also discussed issues addressing matters of mutual interest and exploring avenues to fortify trade partnerships between the two regions. He noted that Assam and Bhutan have historically maintained connectivity through seven established trade routes, underscoring the enduring nature of their economic ties.
In the course of their discussions, he assured the Bhutanese leadership of the Assam Government’s steadfast commitment and cooperation to bolstering trade infrastructure along the Assam-Bhutan border.
He emphasised the creation of additional trade routes to facilitate trade and commerce in line with the needs of Bhutanese traders. He also highlighted Assam’s efforts under the Asom Mala initiative to strengthen road connectivity, particularly between Kokrajhar and Gelephu.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. K.K. Dwivedi was also present during the meeting. In a moment of historical and cultural significance, the Chief Minister, accompanied by his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, attended the 117th National Day celebrations of Bhutan today.
The festivities, held at the picturesque and scenic Changlimithang Grounds in Thimphu, left an indelible impression on Dr. Sarma, who described the experience as uniquely moving. The Chief Minister conveyed his appreciation and joy being present at the splendid and enchanting setting of Bhutan’s National Day celebrations. As a part of the celebrations, the Royal Government of Bhutan extended a warm and heartfelt welcome to both Dr. Sarma and his wife.
It may be noted that Bhutan’s National Day commemorates the coronation of the country’s first king, Ugyen Wangchuck, in 1907. This historic event marked the beginning of the Wangchuck dynasty, which has ruled Bhutan ever since. The celebrations provide an opportunity to honour Bhutan’s cultural heritage, reflect on the sacrifices of its forefathers, and reaffirm the citizens’ devotion to the country’s enduring peace, prosperity, and happiness.
BharatBhutan
Two nations with rich shared heritage.
Had the opportunity to present Assam’s exquisite productions, Muga Stole and Chadar, White Tea, Tea Wine and Rice Wine to H.E @tsheringtobgay, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan and H.E Tashi Doma today. pic.twitter.com/Hz6m9GPug2
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 17, 2024
Later, Dr. Sarma, accompanied by his wife, partook in a solemn moment of reverence at the Kuenrey Hall in Thimphu, where they lit a lamp before the statue of Lord Gautam Buddha, offering their prayers. Earlier, Sarma participated in a roadshow to showcase the state’s investment summit, ‘Advantage Assam 2025′, in the Bhutanese capital, which was attended by the Bhutan king and Tobgay.
“HCM Dr. @himantabiswa expressed his heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, for the gracious gesture of hospitality and for gracing the AdvantageAssam roadshow,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) had said in a post on X.
འབྲུག་གི་མི་རྗེ་བློན་ཆེན་མཆོག་དང་གཅིག་ཁར་ ཁོ་རའི་གཟིམ་ཅུང་ནང་སྦེ་ མཇལ་ཕྲད་བྱུང་ཚུགས་མི་ལུ་ དགའ་ཚོར་ཡོད།
I am extremely grateful to H.E Dasho @tsheringtobgay, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan for hosting Riniki and me to a very sumptuous lunch this afternoon.
We had very… pic.twitter.com/3cjsHiCneM
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 17, 2024
Underlining Assam’s close geographical linkage with Bhutan, Sarma said it presents numerous opportunities, ranging from closer cooperation in the upcoming Gelephu Mindfulness City, an urban development project in Bhutan, to energy generation, healthcare, tourism and skill development.
“I am confident that Assam will play a pivotal role in strengthening the timeless bond between Bharat and Bhutan,” he added. The CMO said over 100 entrepreneurs, business leaders and senior officials from the Royal Government of Bhutan participated in the business event and roadshow in Thimphu to promote ‘Advantage Assam 2.0 – Investment and Infrastructure Summit 2025’, scheduled on February 25-26 in Guwahati.
Sarma, who is the first chief minister of Assam to visit Bhutan, is scheduled to meet the king and queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and call on the prime minister during the visit.
BharatBhutan
Two nations with rich shared heritage.
Had the opportunity to present Assam’s exquisite productions, Muga Stole and Chadar, White Tea, Tea Wine and Rice Wine to H.E @tsheringtobgay, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan and H.E Tashi Doma today. pic.twitter.com/Hz6m9GPug2
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 17, 2024
In another post, Sarma thanked the Bhutan PM for hosting a lunch for him and his wife. “We had very productive discussions on how the great nation of Bhutan and the State of Assam can complement each other’s growth aspirations. On behalf of the people of Assam, I also extended a warm invitation to His Excellency to grace Advantage Assam 2.0 in February 2025,” the CM said.
