Indian foreign secretary to visit Bhutan

New Delhi, October 24: India Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon will leave for Thimphu on a three-day visit on Thursday.

The Indian bureaucrat's visit to Bhutan has come just before Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K. P. Oli is scheduled to visit India before reaching Thimphu for bilateral talks on the issue of exiled Bhutanese.
  
Menon is to hold talks with king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on regional and bilateral issues.

The external affairs ministry's press release on Tuesday said, "The foreign secretary's visit to Bhutan is in keeping with the tradition of regular exchanges of visits between the two countries and will contribute to the further strengthening of the close and friendly ties between India and Bhutan."

The visit is expected to have taken place as part of the advising Bhutan on forthcoming talks with Nepal as Bhutanese governmental decisions are mostly influenced by Indian interests. Bhutan News Service