New Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering to visit India on Dec 27

Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering will be visiting India on December 27, his first foreign visit since taking charge of the country last month.

Tshering took charge as the eighth Prime Minister of Bhutan on November 7, and Indian PM Narendra Modi had called him to congratulate him for the victory. Modi had said India attaches the "highest priority to further strengthening of unique ties of friendship and cooperation with Bhutan, which is based on shared interests and values, utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding".

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale was the first Indian official to visit Bhutan to Tshering. During the meet, Tshering said that "he is committed to strengthening the special bond of friendship and cooperation shared by the two countries". "Our foreign policy should not change every five years with the change in government," he reportedly said.

The two also discussed Bhutan's 12th Five Year Plan. India plays a significant role in Bhutan's Five Year Plans.