India reminds Bhutan of common security concerns

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi played host to King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Tuesday amid unease in New Delhi over Thimphu-Beijing boundary negotiations, India subtly reminded Bhutan the "intertwined and indivisible nature" of the security concerns of the two neighbouring nations.

Modi and Wangchuck reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including issues related to "respective national interests", with New Delhi tacitly conveying to Thimphu that India-Bhutan ties were based on "mutual respect, trust, close understanding and sensitivity to each other's concerns".

"It was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told journalists after the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Bhutanese King. He said that India had accepted the request of Bhutan to extend an additional standby credit facility over and above the two existing such facilities operating between the two countries.

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When asked if Modi and Wangchuck discussed purported progress in Bhutan-China boundary negotiations and its implications for India, Kwatra said: "Besides the exemplary and unique relationship that India and Bhutan have, we also have a framework of security cooperation, and as part of that, both countries maintain a long-standing tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interests, and of course, security also."

“Now, in this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident,” said the Foreign Secretary, adding: “India very closely follows all developments having a bearing on its national interest and it takes all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.”

Wangchuck arrived in New Delhi for a three-day official visit – close on the heels of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering’s revelation that their negotiations with China to resolve the protracted boundary dispute had reached an advanced stage. Tshering said that a delegation of the Government of Bhutan visited Beijing in February, while a “technical team” of the Government of China might arrive in Thimphu soon. He went on to say that Bhutan and China might be able to demarcate the boundary between the two nations after two or three more meetings.

New Delhi is worried over the possibility of Thimphu buckling under pressure from Beijing and accepting China’s sovereignty on 269 sq km of areas in western Bhutan in exchange for China giving up claim on 495 sq kms of areas in north-central Bhutan. If China gains control over western Bhutan, it will make it easier for its PLA to conduct military manoeuvres aimed at blocking the ‘Siliguri Corridor’ – the narrow stretch of land linking India’s North-East with the rest of the country.