Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is set to arrive in Dhaka on Monday on a visit for the first time in a decade.
A senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dhaka Tribune that the king will attend the Independence Day celebration on March 26.
He will pay respect to Bangladesh’s war heroes at the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar and attend President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s formal program at the Bangabhavan.
The king will visit the special economic zone (SEZ) at Madhabram area under the Bhogdanga union of Kurigram Sadar upazila on March 28, according to the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA).
Relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan have developed steadily since 1971.
Bhutan was the first country to recognize the newly independent Bangladesh on December 6, 1971, when the third king of Bhutan sent a message of recognition by telegram.
Since then Bangladesh and Bhutan have shared a special multidimensional bilateral relationship, according to the foreign ministry.
Immediately after the independence, the Bhutanese government took the initiative to establish diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, and consequently, formal diplomatic relations were established on April 12, 1973.
Since the independence of Bangladesh, both countries have taken an active interest in strengthening and deepening bilateral relations progressively over the years.
In 2023, Bangladesh and Bhutan celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.
Bangladesh is the second largest trading partner of Bhutan after India. Both countries are members of Saarc, Safta, Bimstec, and BBIN, among other regional forums.
Bhutan’s trade has always been directed towards the two neighboring countries, namely India and Bangladesh, which jointly account for 86% share of the total trade.
Bangladesh and Bhutan signed the "Agreement on movement of traffic-in-transit and Protocol" on March 22, 2023, in Thimphu, for establishing arrangements for multi-modal communication channels via road, waterways, railways, and airways between the countries.
To finalize the mechanism and legal basis for effective waterways connectivity with Bhutan and to ensure the utilization of Bangladeshi seaports by Bhutan, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the MoU on the use of Inland Waterways between Bangladesh and Bhutan was signed on 15 September 2022 in Dhaka.
Both countries signed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) on 6 December 2020 to ease further trade barriers between the two countries and facilitate an increase in the volume of bilateral trade.
Bhutan is the first country to sign a PTA with Bangladesh. Under the agreement, Bangladesh will enjoy a duty benefit on the export of 100 local products and Bhutan will enjoy a duty benefit on its 34 products.
After his arrival, Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud will call on the king at the Intercontinental Hotel on Monday.
Issues related to bilateral as well as regional interests would be discussed during his visit.
Bangladesh has offered Bhutan to use the Special Economic Zone for the agro-processing industries in the northern Kurigram district.
Further collaboration in the power, agriculture, and health sectors will be discussed during the king’s visit.
Bangladesh wants to import hydropower from Bhutan. Besides, Bangladesh has expressed its interest in setting up a burn unit in a hospital in Bhutan and it is expected that a final decision in this regard will be taken during the visit.
Thimphu is actively considering rejoining the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement (BBIN MVA) process soon.
A Bhutanese delegation conveyed the development to a meeting on the implementation of the BBIN MVA held in Dhaka recently.
The “Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic” agreement between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal was signed on June 15, 2015, in Thimphu, Bhutan.