Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said many countries have evinced renewed interest in Assam and hoped that more heads of state will visit the northeastern state soon.
It is a matter of great honour that the Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk is visiting Assam which has led to hope and aspirations between the two countries, Sarma said at a press conference here.
“Bhutan is our neighbouring country but this is the first time that a King is visiting the state. We hope this will pave the way for state visits from many more countries'”, he said.
Sarma said that the government has made all possible efforts to extend the best hospitality to the King and showcase the state’s myriad culture and opportunities for further collaboration.
The King has left for Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve where he will take an afternoon jeep safari, interact with environmentalists and wildlife conservation experts, attend a cultural programme and dinner hosted by the chief minister.
Sarma said that during the last two years, ambassadors of representatives of several countries have visited the state and expressed their interest to renew ties.
“In the G20 meeting at New Delhi, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told me that he was interested in visiting Assam and we hope that it will happen soon”, the chief minister said.
He rued that the visit of the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Assam in December 2019 had to be cancelled but now the situation is very different and “we expect the visit of heads of state of many countries to visit us”.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s visit had to be cancelled in 2019 due to the ongoing agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
The Bhutan King is currently on a three-day visit to Assam and will leave for New Delhi on Sunday.
-With PTI Input
