Bhutan King makes brief Dhaka stopover, meets President Mirza Fakhrul

Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck made a brief stopover in Dhaka on Wednesday (August 26) while travelling from Singapore to Bhutan, holding a courtesy meeting with Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The Bhutanese king arrived early Wednesday aboard a special aircraft, which remained in Dhaka for about an hour. President Mirza Fakhrul received him at the airport and held talks with him at the VVIP lounge on matters of mutual interest.

During the meeting, the president invited the Bhutanese king and members of the royal family to make a state visit to Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. In return, the Bhutanese monarch invited the president and prime minister of Bangladesh to visit Bhutan.

King Jigme Khesar congratulated Mirza Fakhrul on assuming the presidency and conveyed his best wishes to him. The president, in turn, extended warm greetings from the people and government of Bangladesh to the Bhutanese king and royal family.

Highlighting the longstanding ties between the two countries, President Mirza Fakhrul noted that Bhutan holds a special place in Bangladesh's history and relations. He recalled that Bhutan was the first country in the world to recognise Bangladesh as an independent state on December 6, 1971.

The Bhutanese king stressed the need to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including education, trade and investment, with both sides expressing interest in promoting shared development and prosperity.

King Jigme Khesar also briefed the president on his ambitious Gelephu Mindfulness City project and sought Bangladesh's participation and cooperation in the initiative. The president expressed interest in the project and said Bangladesh was ready to work closely with Bhutan on transformative regional initiatives aimed at mutual prosperity and sustainable development.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bhutan's ambassador to Bangladesh and senior government officials were present during the meeting.

The special aircraft carrying the Bhutanese king departed Dhaka for Bhutan at around 6:30am.