His Majesty is received in New Delhi by the Indian minister of state for commerce & industry, Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, the foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao and the Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Pavan K Varma

HM’s State Visit to India 22 December, 2009 - The governments of Bhutan and India will sign 12 memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreements for development cooperation in the power, aviation, health and ICT sectors at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.

All the MoUs will be signed in the presence of His Majesty the King, the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and dignitaries from the two countries.

In the health sector, the two foreign ministers, Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering and S M Krishna, will sign an MoU on the establishment of the Bhutan institute of medical sciences (BIMS) in Thimphu. The project will be implemented with financial and technical assistance from the government of India (GoI). Technical support will be rendered by all India institute of medical science (AIIMS) through GoI, which will also facilitate the accreditation of BIMS.

The Indian external affairs minister, along with the economic affairs minister, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, will sign an agreement on air services, to incorporate aviation safety and security provisions, which were missing in the previous agreement signed between the two governments in 1991.

The two governments will also sign seven MoUs, including the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) on four power projects - 620 MW Amochhu reservoir, 1,800 MW Kuri Gongri, 670 MW Chamkharchhu-I and 486 MW Kholongchhu. An agreement on consultancy services for preparation of national transmission grid master plan for Bhutan will also be signed.

The foreign secretaries of Bhutan and India will sign the MoU on ICT development in Bhutan. “This MoU seeks to provide a framework for a partnership arrangement between the two governments to consolidate and strengthen GoI’s support to Bhutan’s ICT program to achieve universal connectivity,” said an official from Bhutan’s foreign ministry.

Prior to the MoUs’ signing ceremony, His Majesty will meet the President of India, Pratibha D Patil, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where His Majesty will receive a guard of honour. His Majesty will also pay a visit to Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

Tomorrow, His Majesty will inaugurate a photo exhibition on Bhutan at the National Gallery of Modern Art. Entitled “Bhutan: An Eye to History,” the exhibition will display the early photograph records of Bhutan from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will also include photographic work of His Majesty the King. Later in the evening, His Majesty will deliver the Madhavrao Scindia memorial lecture at Teen Murti auditorium.

During the visit, His Majesty will meet and hold talks with the president of India, who will also be hosting a banquet in honour of His Majesty. The vice president of India, the prime minister, the chairperson of UPA, external affairs minister, finance minister, home minister, the leader of the opposition, national security advisor and other senior government officials will be calling on the King of Bhutan, according to the joint secretary of external publicity division of ministry of external affairs, Vishnu Prakash.

In a press conference with the Indian and Bhutanese media, Vishnu Prakash said that, “The visit of His Majesty the King of Bhutan will provide an another opportunity of high level exchange of views between the two countries, which would further strengthen the friendship and cooperation”.

India and Bhutan have a unique, unparallel and time tested partnership for peace and friendship, said Vishnu Prakash. “The foundation of this relationship was laid by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, during his visit to Bhutan in 1958. The basic framework of India-Bhutan relationship is the treaty of peace and friendship of 1949, which was updated and made contemporary during the visit of His Majesty the King in February 2007.”

Vishnu Prakash said that there will be delegation talks with the prime minister. The discussions are expected to cover a whole range of issues of mutual interest, bilateral cooperation including cooperation in sectors like hydropower, IT, health, and civil aviation, as well as regional and international matters of common interest.

His Majesty the King, who is on a five-day state visit to India on the invitation of the President of India, arrived in New Delhi yesterday. On his arrival at the Indira Gandhi international airport, His Majesty was received by the Indian minister of state for commerce & industry, Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, the foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao and the Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Pavan K Varma.

His Majesty is accompanied by foreign minister Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering, economic affairs minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, chairman of the royal privy council Chyenkhab Dorji, chief operations officer of the royal Bhutan army Major General Batoo Tshering, chairman of Druk holdings & investments Om Pradhan and other senior government officials.

This is the first official state visit to a foreign country after the formal Coronation in 2008.