Bhutan Becomes Fourth SAARC Nation To Support India Over Kashmir

In what comes as yet another diplomatic win for India, Bhutan on Wednesday said scrapping up of special status to Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India. Bhutanese Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji also stressed that Bhutan supports peace at the border. “For us, this is an entirely internal matter of the Government of India. I would also like to state there should be peace at the borders”, news agency ANI quoted Dorji as saying. Bhutan, thus becomes the fourth SAARC nation to support India over the Kashmir issue. 

Speaking about the competition between India and China over Bhutan, the foreign minister said, “There is no competition between the two countries. There are enough opportunities and space for all countries to collaborate.” 

“Indo-Bhutan friendship is the model of friendship not only between two countries but also between neighbours. It reflects that size (of a country) does not matter”, Dorji said.

“A small country and a big country can show an exemplary relationship. We have excellent relations and it will only further strengthen especially after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutan's Prime Minister visits India. He has made two visits to India within the span of for eight months”, Dorji added.

In August this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering discussed steps to further expand the bilateral partnership across several sectors as the two nations signed 10 MoUs to infuse new energy in their ties.

Modi, who was on his second visit to Bhutan and his first since his re-election in May this year, inaugurated Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant and also launched stamps to commemorate five decades of India-Bhutan Hydropower cooperation.

(With Agency Inputs)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kashmir is an internal matter of India, says Bhutan
• Earlier Modi inaugurated Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant
• Bhutan becomes fourth SAARC nation to support India over Kashmir