M B Subba
Bhutan Today
Bhutan churns out major foreign policy haul.
As Bhutan looks for a more active role as a global leader on environmental issues and Gross National Happiness (GNH) values, spreading diplomatic ties has become an important foreign policy. And of late, the government has been doing just that.
During the last one year, Bhutan established formal diplomatic ties with 14 countries and appointed six honorary consuls to various countries.
Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley while presenting the state of the nation report to the National Assembly recently said Bhutan’s campaign for a seat in the UN Security Council has greatly enhanced the country’s visibility and image globally and successfully conveys to the world that Bhutan attaches importance to multilateralism and international relations.
He described the “vigorous and concerted” campaign as a major foreign policy undertaking. “This is by far one of the boldest foreign policy initiatives undertaken by the government and it is the first time that Bhutan has presented its candidature for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council,” he said.
The National Assembly member Hemant Gurung emphasized the need for enhancing diplomatic ties to become a global leader in environment and sustainable development issues. “We can’t achieve it immediately and we have to build contacts with more countries,” he said.
Bhutan became a member of the United Nations in 1971 but left little international footprint until recently. However, Hemant Gurung said the declaration of international happiness day last year by the UN was significant in terms of Bhutan’s role and footprint in the international arena.
He said that the prime minister has worked diligently as “GNH Ambassador” to ensure Bhutan’s status as an “emerging global leader” in environmental issues in the last four years. Citing the recent GNH conference at the UN and the Thimphu SAARC summit last year, he said Bhutan has demonstrated its capability to shoulder international leadership role.
“The fact that countries around the world invite Bhutan to speak on GNH in different global forum testifies that the world has started accepting Bhutan’s leadership.” “We are proud of where the country, internationally is today,” he said, adding that the country’s visibility in the international arena has enhanced its sovereignty.
A former Editor, K B Lama said that Bhutan’s contribution as an individual carbon-neutral country would be negligible in the world but Bhutan can lead the world the “right way” on sustainable development and environmental issues through advocacy.
“There was a need for a country to take a lead role in environment protection and sustainable development and Bhutan has shouldered that responsibility at the right time,” he said. “We are squeezed between China and India, which are producing large amounts of carbon dioxide,” he said adding that the ecological threat facing Bhutan is becoming more real.
An aspiring politician said: “Bhutan’s ambitions for a more active international role demands greater freedom of action in the foreign policy domain. And the diplomatic ties with powerful nations are even more important”. However, he said diplomatic expansion should also emphasize on maintaining neutrality between India and China, giving special regard to the former.
He also said winning important portfolios in UN agencies will also help Bhutan play greater role of pushing Bhutan’s agenda internationally. “But it cannot be achieved without expanding diplomatic ties,” he said.
Meanwhile, the India and Bhutan Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1949 which said India could “guide” Bhutan in its foreign policy was changed by the historic treaty of 2007, which gave Bhutan complete freedom in its diplomatic policy.
During the recent state of nation address, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley said that the guiding principle of Bhutan’s foreign policy is to promote and protect sovereignty and territorial integrity there by advancing national interests. But he also said that relations with India, which he said is based on age-old ties of friendship and mutual respect, remain the “cornerstone” of the country’s foreign policy.
Head of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s foreign relations wing Karma Rangdol, earlier told this paper that foreign relations should be built cautiously. He said the decision in relation to diplomacy also depends on the next government as the present one’s term is about to end.
