NSA, Army Chief’s secret mission to Bhutan

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval quietly travelled to Bhutan earlier this month where they held extensive talks with the Bhutanese leadership on key strategic issues including the situation in Doklam and the Chinese building defence infrastructure around the plateau, authoritative government sources said.

The sources said that the two sides reviewed bilateral security and defence cooperation with focus on China's increasing military posturing and infrastructure development around the Doklam plateau.

The visit took place between February 6 and 7 and positive outcomes emerged from the meetings between the key Indian officials and the Bhutanese government, multiple government sources said, adding there were deliberations on how to further strengthen defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

The visit by Gen Rawat, Doval and Gokhale was the first by top Indian officials from India to Bhutan after the Doklam standoff, and was kept under wraps by both sides.

The visit came three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay on the sidelines of an investors summit in Guwahati.

OneIndia News