In a significant diplomatic move, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, landed in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Monday, marking the beginning of a crucial three-day official visit.
The Chief Minister shared the update on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, expressing gratitude to Bhutan's Foreign Minister, Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, for the warm welcome at the airport.
Dr. Sarma's post read: "Just landed in Thimphu Thankful to H.E Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, Foreign Minister of Bhutan for welcoming Riniki and me at the Airport. I look forward to boosting Bharat’s ties with this beautiful nation during my three-day visit."
Just landed in Thimphu 🇧🇹
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 16, 2024
Thankful to H.E Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, Foreign Minister of Bhutan for welcoming Riniki and me at the Airport.
I look forward to boosting Bharat’s ties with this beautiful nation during my three day visit.@Indiainbhutan pic.twitter.com/sqB3bysnzr
Earlier, he had shared another message in Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan, stating:
"འབྲུག་ལུ་འོང་ནི་གི་རེ་བ་བསྐྱེད་དོ། I am on my way to Thimphu to attend Bhutan’s National Day Celebrations at the invitation of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. This visit, I sincerely hope, will reinforce the enduring friendship between the great people of Bhutan and the State of Assam."
འབྲུག་ལུ་འོང་ནི་གི་རེ་བ་བསྐྱེད་དོ།
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 16, 2024
I am on my way to Thimphu to attend Bhutan’s National Day Celebrations at the invitation of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
This visit, I sincerely hope, will reinforce the enduring friendship between the great people of Bhutan… pic.twitter.com/zvNSXHfKFe
CM Sarma’s visit, which will span from December 16 to 19, 2024, comes at the invitation of the Royal Government of Bhutan. This historic visit marks the first-ever visit by the Assam Chief Minister to Bhutan, a testament to the strong and growing diplomatic ties between the two regions.
During his stay, CM Sarma is scheduled to receive an audience with His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, along with meetings with Bhutan’s Prime Minister. The visit also coincides with Bhutan's National Day celebrations, where the Chief Minister will attend as a special guest.
The visit is seen as a crucial step in further strengthening the historical bond between Bhutan and Assam. Both regions share a deep-rooted relationship, built on mutual respect and cooperation. CM Sarma’s trip aims to boost bilateral relations, fostering closer ties in areas of trade, culture, and regional security.
As CM Sarma looks forward to enhancing Assam’s role on the international stage, his visit to Bhutan underscores the growing importance of diplomatic engagement in the region. This landmark visit is poised to pave the way for greater collaboration between the two neighboring entities, highlighting Assam's strategic position in India’s northeast.