(MENAFN- The Peninsula) For the second time in five months, Bhutan hosted an important visitor from India, as the dragon kingdom pulled out all stops to demonstrate its special ties with the country and warm feelings towards President Pranab Mukherjee. He has come here on a state visit that reinforces the "high importance" New Delhi attaches to this relationship.
The President's visit came within five months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June 15-16, less than three weeks after assuming office in what was his maiden foreign visit as prime minister.
It was, however, the first presidential visit from India to this country of fresh mountain air, pristine beauty and culturally proud people in over a quarter of a century.
Although the President, in an interview to the national newspaper Kuensel, emphasised in response to a question that his visit "has no connection with Bhutan-China talks", that Beijing was an elephant in the room and its persistent attempts to leverage the talks to its strategic advantage that would be detrimental to India has been a point of concern for Indian policy makers.
Bhutan has no diplomatic ties with China but Beijing has been trying to put pressure on Thimphu for the last few years to allow it to open its mission in Thimphu, which the latter has been resisting.
That Bhutan considers its historic ties with India "special" needed no better affirmation than the surprise presence of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and Queen Jetsun Pema at the airport to receive President Mukherjee, bypassing protocol. Earlier, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was scheduled to receive the head of Indian state.
Mukherjee came yesterday morning by a special Indian Air Force plane to Paro, from where he drove in a ceremonial carcade to Thimphu, a 56km route that was lined by flag-waving schoolchildren, villagers and even lamas in traditional maroon-and-yellow robes while colourful flags and buntings representing the five elements decked the route along with large portraits of the President and the king.
At places along the route villagers brought out ceremonial offerings of fruits, flowers and incense in honour of the visiting dignitary, an honour reserved for only special guests to this country.
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