Bhutan King Invites Bangladesh President, PM to Visit Bhutan

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a courtesy meeting with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Wednesday.

The Bhutanese king’s special aircraft made a brief stopover in Dhaka while travelling from Singapore to Bhutan. During the nearly hour-long stopover, the president met the king at the airport’s VVIP lounge.

The two leaders held cordial discussions on various issues of mutual interest. President Mirza Fakhrul invited the Bhutanese king and members of the royal family to make a state visit to Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.

In response, King Jigme Khesar invited the President and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit Bhutan at a convenient time.

Earlier, the Bhutanese king congratulated Mirza Fakhrul on assuming office as president and conveyed his best wishes for his tenure. The president, in turn, conveyed warm greetings from the people and government of Bangladesh to the king and members of the Bhutanese royal family.

During the meeting, President Mirza Fakhrul highlighted the deep and historic ties between Bangladesh and Bhutan, noting that Bhutan holds a special place in the hearts of Bangladeshis as the first country in the world to recognise Bangladesh as an independent state on December 6, 1971.

The president also recalled with deep respect the goodwill and affection shown towards Bangladesh by the Bhutanese king’s father, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

Emphasising the shared aspirations of the two countries for development and prosperity, King Jigme Khesar stressed the need to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including education, trade and investment.

The Bhutanese king also briefed the president on his flagship Gelephu Mindfulness City project and sought Bangladesh’s participation and cooperation in the initiative.

President Mirza Fakhrul expressed keen interest in the project and praised the initiative. He said Bangladesh was ready to work closely with Bhutan to advance transformative initiatives in the region aimed at mutual welfare, prosperity and sustainable development.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bhutan’s ambassador to Bangladesh and senior government officials were present during the meeting.

The Bhutanese king’s special aircraft left Dhaka for Bhutan at around 6:30am.