India, Bhutan remain in close touch over shared security interests: MEA on Bhutan PM's statement

New Delhi: Reacting to the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks on the Tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan that Bhutan also has an "equal" say on the issue, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to both nations' shared interests, including security interest.
In a media briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra reacted to the controversy after Bhutan's statement on the "Chicken neck" between India, Bhutan and China. Bhutan seemingly took a stand regarding the trijunction between the three nations.
On asking how India would react to the Bhutanese PM's statement, Kwatra said, "I would say that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest."
Without addressing the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks directly, the foreign secretary said that the national interests of India and Bhutan, and the interests of the relationship between India and Bhutan have some main points which are shared values, trust, mutual respect and close understanding and sensitivity to each other's interests and concerns.
"Besides the exemplary and unique relationship between India and Bhutan, we also have a time-tested framework of security cooperation. Both countries maintain a long-standing tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest and security also. In this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident," Kwatra added.

Bhutan's PM Lotay Tshering shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. (File Photo)
In the briefing, Foreign Secretary also made it clear that the "Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary."
"I would only reiterate our earlier statements on this (Doklam) issue which very explicitly and very clearly bring out our position on the determination of the Trijunction boundary points," he added.
He repeated his previous statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi covered the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation issues and issues of respective national interests.
With regard to the recent statements (by the Bhutanese PM), Kwatra said, "India and Bhutan remain in close touch and in close coordination relating to our shared national interests, including security interest."
Congress has also raised a concern on the issue and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that the remark by Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that "there is no intrusion" into Bhutan by China and that Beijing has an "equal" say in any discussion over its illegal intrusions raises several concerns. (ANI)