Bhutan PM to visit India for four days

New Delhi, June 29 (ANI): Bhutan's Prime Minister, Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, will pay a four-day working visit to New Delhi from June 30 to July 3, 2009.

He would be the first Head of Government to visit India during the second term of the Prime Minister, Dr. manmohan Singh.

Prime Minister Thinley had paid a state visit to India in July 2008 as the first democratically elected Prime Minister after Bhutan's historic transition to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy. He, thereafter, visited India in November 2008 to participate in the 2nd BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi.

During his visit, Thinley will call on President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and meet with Dr. Singh, Sonia Gandhi,the Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna.

e will arrive in the Indian capital on Tuesday morning. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon will call on him at the Hotel Taj Mahal at 6 p.m.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will call on the visiting dignitary at 11.15 a.m. Thereafter, the Bhutanese Prime Minister will call on President Patil at noon.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will call on Prime Minister Thinley at 4.15 p.m., while Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani will meet him at 5 p.m.

At 6 p.m., he will meet Sonia Gandhi.

Delegation-level talks between the two countries will take place at Hyderabad House on the same day at 7.15 p.m.

He will return to Thimpu on Friday afternoon. (ANI)