Bhutanese Prime Minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinley, will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday for a four-day visit. This is the first visit by a foreign leader to India since the new government took charge last month. 

With the new Indian government placing top priority on building better ties with its neighbours, it is fitting that the first visit by a foreign leader to New Delhi during the second tenure of the ruling coalition should be from Bhutan. Thinley's visit comes barely two weeks after External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visited the idyllic Himalayan state that saw India reaffirming its close and friendly ties with Bhutan. 

Thinley, who comes here for felicitatating the new government, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday and discuss a host of bilateral and regional issues. He will also call on President Pratibha Patil and meet Congress chief and ruling UPA chair Sonia Gandhi.

Bhutan's Foreign Secretary Daw Penjo, Economic Affairs Secretary Dasho Sonam Tshering and other senior government officials will be accompanying the Bhutanese PM. 

The goodwill trip is intended to build upon the key areas of bilateral cooperation which were in the spotlight during Krishna's visit. The visit comes at a time when the two countries are bracing to enhance their cooperation in hydro power generation.  

India sees its bilateral ties with Bhutan as a "a model of good neighbourliness". During his day-long visit to Thimphu, S M Krishna had flagged off the first Taro-Bagdogra (Assam) flight of Bhutan's Druk Air that is set to spur greater connectivity and promote trade and tourism between the two neighbours. He had also announced a new series of scholarships for students from the Himalayan kingdom for pursuing higher studies in prestigious Indian institutions.