External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Visits Bhutan in September 2026 to Strengthen Bilateral Ties and Sign ₹4,000-Crore Line of Credit Agreement

Key facts

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Bhutan on a two-day official visit, during which he received an audience with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, called on Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and held talks with Bhutanese counterpart D.N. Dhungyel.
• India and Bhutan signed an agreement on a concessional Line of Credit of ₹4,000 crore for energy projects in Bhutan.
• Jaishankar inaugurated the 65-bed Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital in Mongar and laid the foundation stone for the 500 KW Lunana Hydropower Project in Gasa, northern Bhutan.
• Jaishankar handed over 43 Jersey cows to the National Cattle Breeding Centre in Bumthang and 54 electric vehicles to the Royal Government of Bhutan.
• India and Bhutan operationalised a Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based facility enabling Bhutanese nationals to make digital payments in India using Bhutanese mobile applications.
• The two sides agreed to continue collaboration on the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), and India reaffirmed its commitment to establish an Immigration Check Post at Hatisar in Assam to facilitate movement to Gelephu.
• A new Land Customs Station was operationalised in Samrang, Assam, and progress was reviewed on cross-border rail links between Gelephu-Kokrajhar and Samtse-Banarhat.
• India thanked Bhutan for supporting its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2028-2029 term and appreciated Bhutan's ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).
• The two ministers expressed satisfaction at the implementation of the Joint Vision on Energy Partnership of March 2024 and discussed cooperation in the space sector, including satellite data applications for monitoring glaciers, forest resources, floods and agriculture.
• Jaishankar invited D.N. Dhungyel to visit India at his earliest convenience.