India-Bhutan bilateral meet to be held on the sidelines of BIMSTEC, Doklam to be discussed : India, News - India Today

The meeting of foreign ministers of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) would be held at Kathmandu. India's External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj who according to sources, would also be holding bilateral meeting with her Bhutanese counterpart, Damcho Dorji, on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit. This would be the first meeting between Swaraj and Dorji, since tensions broke out at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.

China has been unrelenting with its statements and threats against India. On the other hand, India has been responding very diplomatically, saying dialogue and engagement are the only way forward. Bhutan, on the other hand, has not responded beyond the 19 June, statement wherein they had very clearly and sternly put forth Bhutan's stand on the road construction by China in Doka La (Doklam) which is a disputed territory between the India and China.

Sources say, Bhutan will reiterate her position on the ensuing border tensions as also the discussions between the two foreign ministers will revolve around how to de-escalate the tension. Bhutan on 29 June, in a press release had invoked the 1988, 1998 bilateral agreements between China and Bhutan saying status quo should remain unchanged until the border question is resolved.

"Bhutan has conveyed to the Chinese side, both on the ground and through the diplomatic channel, that the construction of the road inside Bhutanese territory is a direct violation of the agreements and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between our two countries. Bhutan hopes that the status quo in the Doklam area will be maintained as before 16 June, 2017", the press release read.

China on multiple occasions, has questioned Indian troops' presence in the area, which India has justified with the security pact it has with Bhutan. The agreement with Bhutan that says neither country will allow any activity on its soil which is detrimental to the security of either. Bhutan is an independent country with a 2007 Treaty of Cooperation signed with India.