Embassy of IndiaThimphu

Joint Press Release on Official Visit of Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Bhutan (13-15 May 2026)

An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by Hon’ble Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, paid an official visit to Bhutan from 13-15 May 2026, at the invitation of the Hon’ble Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan, H.E. Lungten Dorji.

1. The delegation included Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and President of the India-Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb; Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Shri Dorjee Tshering Lepcha; Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and Member of the India-Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Shri Lumbaram Choudhary; Secretary General, Lok Sabha Secretariat, Shri Utpal Kumar Singh; and other senior officials from the Parliament of India.

2. During the visit, the delegation was granted a Royal Audience with His Majesty The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The delegation also called on the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan, Hon’ble Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan, Hon’ble Chairperson of the National Council of Bhutan, and interacted with the members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for India at Lhenzom Khang, National Assembly of Bhutan. The delegation also attended the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Session of the Fourth Parliament of Bhutan.   

3. The visit provided an opportunity to deliberate on the long-standing tradition of exchanges and cooperation between the two Parliaments. The two sides recalled the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strengthening parliamentary interaction in February 2023 and agreed to renew the MoU to guide cooperation between the Parliaments of the two countries. The Bhutanese side shared their gratitude for rendering support in training and experience sharing to the Secretariat staff through the Parliamentary Research & Training for Democracies (PRIDE), and both sides agreed to further enhance cooperation in capacity building and parliamentary exchange programs.

4. As a mark of importance of the special and unique relations between the two countries and their Parliaments, the two sides welcomed the formation of Parliamentary Friendship Groups on both sides and encouraged their role to further strengthen parliamentary interactions and collaborations.

5. The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries that are a hallmark of the strong India-Bhutan friendship, which is underpinned by deep mutual trust, understanding and respect.