New Delhi: MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to Bhutan from Friday Raveesh Kumar said that Jaishankar would call on Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and meet his counterpart Tandi Dorji. . This will be hid first overseas trip after assuming charge of the ministry.


"His visit is in keeping with the tradition that India attaches with bilateral relationship with Bhutan, a close friend and a neighbour," Kumar said.

Jaishankar has previously served as Foreign Secretary from 2015-2018 and was appointed as Minister of External Affairs in the newly formed BJP-led NDA government.

Earlier today during his first public event after becoming the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar said "Most Indians recognise that India's global stature has risen in the last five years and this played a role in the NDA government retaining power for a second consecutive term"

A "global rebalancing" is taking place and its "sharpest manifestation" is the rise of China and, to an extent, the rise of India as well, Jaishankar said during an interaction at a seminar.

"A large majority of people in India recognised that India's stature in the world has risen in the last five years," the minister said, adding that the government has kept alive and perhaps even strengthened expectations of change in India.

The government looks different from outside than from inside, Jaishankar, who served as foreign secretary from 2015-18, said without elaborating.

While highlighting India's relationship with its immediate neighbourhood, Jaishankar said the priority has been to focus on the regional grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) rather than SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation).

BIMSTEC, he said, is witnessing a great deal of positive energy. It was decided to leverage that and invite the leaders of BIMSTEC nations to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi last month, he added.

(agency inputs)

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