Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck paid a visit to Assam on Saturday to view the facilities at the Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) and the Multi Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Jogighopa.

The King was received by the Minister for Public Health Engineering and Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of Assam, Jayanta Malla Baruah.

"As part of its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the Government has been pursuing several connectivity initiatives for boosting people-to-people ties and facilitating trade and economic cooperation with Bhutan," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The IWT at Jogighopa, which was inaugurated in February this year, is an important infrastructure project for economic development and enhancing connectivity in the region.

"India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, underpinned by mutual understanding, trust and utmost goodwill at all levels. The visit of His Majesty, the King of Bhutan, to Jogighopa, Assam is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries," the statement said.

Diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan were established in 1968.
The basic framework of India- Bhutan relations has been the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries, which was revised in February 2007.

The tradition of regular political and official exchanges is an important hallmark of the special ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries

Narendra Modi visited Bhutan on his first overseas visit after assuming responsibility as Prime Minister in 2014.

PM Modi undertook a State visit to Bhutan in August 2019, after assuming office for the second term.

About 50,000 Indians are presently working in Bhutan in the sectors such as infrastructure development, hydropower, education, trade and commerce signifying close people to people ties between the two countries, read the Indian Embassy in Bhutan website.