Daijiworld Media Network – Thimphu
Thimphu, Nov 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day visit to Bhutan, met Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan, in Thimphu on Wednesday and held wide-ranging discussions on strengthening the longstanding ties between the two neighbouring nations.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Prime Minister Modi conveyed warm felicitations to the Fourth King on the occasion of his 70th birth anniversary, extending best wishes on behalf of India for his good health and well-being.
“Prime Minister thanked His Majesty The Fourth King for his leadership, counsel, and guidance in further strengthening India–Bhutan friendship. Both leaders held discussions on bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest and underlined the shared spiritual and cultural bonds that bring the people of the two countries closer,” the MEA stated.
PM Modi also attended the Kalachakra initiation ceremony at Changlimithang Stadium, alongside Bhutan’s current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Fourth King. The prayers, presided over by Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot of Bhutan, formed part of the ongoing Global Peace Prayer Festival.
The Prime Minister will now return to New Delhi, concluding a visit that reaffirmed India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and its deep-rooted friendship with Bhutan.
Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi joined the celebrations marking the Fourth King’s 70th birthday and participated in delegation-level talks with Bhutan’s current King. The discussions covered a wide spectrum of cooperation — including energy, technology, connectivity, capacity building, defence, and security.
Following the talks, both leaders jointly inaugurated the 1020 MW Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric project, a major milestone in the India–Bhutan partnership.
“Had a very good meeting with His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan. We covered the full range of India–Bhutan relations. India is proud to be a key partner in Bhutan’s development journey,” Prime Minister Modi said in a post on social media.
Highlighting the centuries-old spiritual and cultural ties, PM Modi and the Bhutanese King also visited Tashichhodzong to seek blessings from the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha, sent from India as a special gesture to commemorate the Fourth King’s birth anniversary and the Global Peace Prayer Festival.
Jigme Singye Wangchuck, born on November 11, 1955, reigned as Bhutan’s Fourth Druk Gyalpo from 1972 to 2006, guiding the nation through a transformative era of modernisation and introducing the globally admired Gross National Happiness philosophy — a legacy that continues to define Bhutan’s progress today.