India and Bhutan’s security is “indivisible and mutual”, said President Ram Nath Kovind, in the first such statement on the subject since the end of the Doklam standoff between India and China in August this year, indicating a closer engagement between the neighbours post-Doklam.
Mr. Kovind, who issued a statement after meeting Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Delhi, also thanked the King for his “personal involvement” in addressing the Doklam crisis, the first time a reference has been made to the King’s role during the tensions between Indian and Chinese troops.
“[The President] conveyed deep appreciation for the King of Bhutan’s personal involvement and guidance and the support provided by Bhutan in addressing the recent situation in the Doklam area. He added that the manner in which both India and Bhutan stood together to address the situation in the Doklam area is a clear testimony to our friendship,” said a press release issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan after the King and Queen of Bhutan met with him.
However, neither the Ministry of External Affairs nor Bhutanese embassy responded to queries from The Hindu about the nature of the King’s role in the Doklam crisis.
According to the officials, the King, who is on a four-day visit to meet with the President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other senior Cabinet ministers will return to India for a formal “state visit” next year, which marks the Golden Jubilee or 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan is significant as it seeks to end speculation over India’s decision to send troops into land disputed between Bhutan and China.
While Indian officials had said the Indian troops went into Doklam at the request of the Royal Bhutanese Army, Bhutan’s government has never said so officially.
In two statements issued on June 29 and August 29, the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry had said China was in violation of its agreements, but gave no statement on the Indian Army’s role there.
The visit by the Royal couple to Delhi this week is therefore being seen as not just a personal one, but one that signals a tacit endorsement of India’s actions during the Doklam crisis, as well as a reaffirmation of ties, analysts said.
President Kovind’s comment that “security concerns of India and Bhutan are indivisible and mutual”, is also likely to be analysed closely for whether the two are considering a new formulation in their ties post-Doklam.
Although Article 2 of the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 had said Bhutan would be “guided by the advice” of India on its external relations, the treaty was amended in 2007 to a less entwined “close cooperation on issues relating to their national interests.”