After the ceremony, the President and the Ambassador discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of further strengthening them. Discussions also touched on the forthcoming 16th SAARC Summit to be held in Thimphu, Bhutan on 28-29 April, 2010. Other dignitaries at the meeting included Dr. Mohamed Waheed, Vice President, Mr. Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Special Envoy of the President, Mr. Hassan Afeef, President’s Political Advisor and Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Dasho Bap Kesang also met with Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Minister of Sate for Foreign Affairs and Mr. Ahmed Salih, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and the Republic of Maldives were established on 20 July, 1984.

RBE, Dhaka, 07 March 2010

THE REPORT, ALONG WITH OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION ON THE UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW, IS AVAILABLE ON THE MFA WEBSITE AT WWW.MFA.GOV.BT.

THE MINISTRY REITERATES ITS INVITATION TO ALL CONCERNED STAKEHOLDERS, PARTICULARLY MEMBERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY, TO SEND THEIR VIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE REPORT AS WELL AS ITS IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH THE FOLLOWING COORDINATES:

EMAIL:                        bhutanUPR (at) mfa.gov.bt

UPR HOTLINE:           322118

FAX:                            322079

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

1ST MARCH 2010

Following the presentation of the credentials, Dasho Yeshey Dorji called on Dr. Johannese Kyrle, Secretary General (Foreign Secretary) of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of the Austrian Government.

While informal relations between Bhutan and Austria began in 1968, formal diplomatic relations were established on 8 May 1989.
Bhutan has been an Austrian Development Cooperation key country since 1989 and is the only priority country for Austria in Asia. Cooperation between Bhutan and Austria has been mainly in the energy, culture, tourism, and RNR (forestry) sectors, with HRD as a cross-cutting area.

Bhutan and Austria enjoy close ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation.

14 January 2010

During the visit, Ambassador Namgyel also called on Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal, Foreign Minister Mrs. Sujata Koirala and Foreign Secretary Mr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai, during which issues of mutual interest were discussed.

Non-resident diplomatic relations between the two countries was established in 1983.

Royal Bhutanese Embassy
New Delhi

Diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the State of Kuwait started with the opening of a Consulate General in 1983, which was later upgraded to an Embassy in 1986.   Kuwait is the only country in the Middle East with which Bhutan has resident diplomatic missions.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Royal Government of Bhutan
Thimphu
19 November 2009

(From Left: H.E. Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering, Foreign Minister of Bhutan and H.E. Mr. Celso Amorim, Minister of External Relations, Brazil)

The Kingdom of Bhutan and the Federative Republic of Brazil, wishing to strengthen and develop friendly relations in the political, economic, cultural and other fields between them have established formal diplomatic relations with effect from 21 September 2009. The Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations was signed between H.E. Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Royal Government of Bhutan, and H.E. Mr. Celso Amorim, Minister of External Relations, on behalf of the Federative Republic of Brazil, on 21st September 2009, at the Permanent Mission of Brazil in New York. Brazil is the only country in South America with which Bhutan has established diplomatic relations.

The Bhutanese Foreign Secretary, the Bhutanese Ambassador and officials of Bhutan’s Mission to the United Nations in New York were also present for the signing ceremony. In total, Bhutan now has diplomatic relations with 23 countries and the European Union.

Following the signing ceremony, the two foreign ministers had an exchange of views on areas of mutual cooperation. The two ministers expressed the desire of their governments to cooperate closely in areas of mutual benefit, particularly in the field of socio-economic development. With the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two ministers also expressed the desire for deepening the present level of cooperation between the two countries at the UN and at other multilateral forums.

There is also a growing interest in the philosophy of Gross National Happiness in Brazil. As a result, the Centre for Bhutan Studies together with the Future Vision Institute of Brazil will hold the 5th International Conference on Gross National Happiness in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu from 20 – 24 November 2009.

10 August 2009

Lyonpo held meetings with Senator McCain and Senator Joseph Lieberman. Lyonpo also had a luncheon meeting with Mr. Brian Baird, US House Representative, and several other prominent Representatives. Some of the lawmakers had visited Bhutan while others had learnt about Bhutan from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which had Bhutan as its focus country in 2008. One of the Representatives included Mr. Reyes of El Paso, which has an entire university campus built in traditional Bhutanese architecture and now hosts the largest number of Bhutanese students in the US. Lyonpo also met with Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey and Ambassador Richard Boucher, both former officials of the US State Department, who have been closely associated with South Asia.

Lyonpo exchanged views with the US lawmakers on areas of mutual interest. Lyonpo informed the lawmakers that under the leadership of His Majesty the King, Bhutan’s democratic transition was smooth and successful. He also briefed them about the socio- economic development of the country and the implementation of Gross National Happiness. The US lawmakers expressed their admiration for the Bhutanese Monarchs for their leadership and guidance in introducing democracy in Bhutan. They also commended Bhutan for its commitment to environmental preservation and for undertaking hydropower projects that would contribute to reducing global warming, which is now a serious concern for the entire international community. The US lawmakers and Lyonpo discussed the desirability of increasing scholarships for Bhutanese students to study in US educational institutions given its success in the past.

The US lawmakers and Lyonpo agreed that such exchange of visits will contribute to further strengthening friendship and understanding between Bhutan and the US.

Lyonpo conveyed Bhutan’s deep commitment to be a responsible and respected member of the international community.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
29 July 2009

The experts of the CEDAW Committee reviewed the progress made by Bhutan in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention since the presentation of Bhutan’s Initial through 6th Reports in 2004. In his opening address, the Foreign Minister apprised the experts of the Committee on Bhutan’s political transition to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy. He stated that Bhutan’s Constitution provides the overall legal framework for the country, which is largely human rights based, and guarantees and protects the rights of women. He expressed the commitment of the Royal Government to the full realization of the letter and spirit of the Convention to further promote and protect the rights of women.

During the session, the Bhutanese delegation engaged in a constructive dialogue with the experts, covering all the articles of the Convention and the previous recommendations. The CEDAW Committee commended Bhutan for the successful and timely presentation of its 7th periodic report and noted the significant progress made by Bhutan in various areas. The experts encouraged Bhutan to take steps to further improve the situation of women in the country.

Along with Bhutan, 11 other countries also presented their reports to the Committee during this session. The session on Bhutan was chaired by Her Excellency Ms. Naela Gabr Mohamed Gabre Ali, who is also the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

Bhutan ratified the CEDAW in August 1981. It presented its Initial through 6th Reports to the Committee in January 2004. As a state party to the Convention, Bhutan is expected to submit periodic reports to the Committee every four years. Bhutan will be required to present its 8th Report in 2013.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
23 July 2009

15 July 2009