External affairs minister SM Krishna has chosen the key neighbouring country Bhutan to make his first foreign visit from June 18.
Krishna will call on Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and PM Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley who will host a banquet in the honour of the external affairs minister on the first day of his two-day visit.
A wide range of issues, including economic cooperation and strengthening of relationship between the two countries, will figure during the meetings between Krishna and Bhutanese leadership, sources said.
Besides bilateral ties, the focus of the visit will also be on the situation in the region given Bhutan's strategic location between India and China.
Krishna is expected to flag-off the Paro-Bagdogra flight of Bhutan's Druk Air on June 18. He will also sign an agreement with his Bhutanese counterpart Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering providing a Rs one-crore scholarship to talented Bhutanese students, preferably post graduate or even graduate, in the most prestigious institutions in India.
Describing the visit as "important and a friendly gesture", Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pawan K Verma said "the first visit by the Foreign Minister to Bhutan is a symbol of the close friendship and special relationship between the two countries."
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