NEW DELHI: Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will visit India on December 5-6 for meetings with the Indian leadership to review bilateral relations.

Wangchuck, who will be accompanied by Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and senior officials, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and senior Indian officials during the official visit, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

“The visit shall provide both sides an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and to further advance the exemplary bilateral partnership across diverse sectors,” the ministry said.

India and Bhutan “enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterised by mutual understanding and trust”, it added.

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that India’s developmental assistance, budgetary support, Bhutan’s plans to develop an economic hub at Gelephu and the Bhutan-China border dispute are among the issues that are expected to figure in the discussions.

Bhutan garnered the largest share of the Indian government’s external aid portfolio in the budget for 2024-25, with an outlay of ₹2,068 crore. Earlier this year, India also announced the doubling of its financial support for Bhutan’s five-year plan from ₹5,000 crore to ₹10,000 crore.

The Gelephu Special Administrative Region is a pet project of the Bhutan king and he is expected to reiterate a request for Indian backing for the ambitious venture, the people said.

Bhutan’s previous government had come close to an understanding with China to demarcate the unsettled border, raising concerns in New Delhi. The people said this issue is expected to figure in the king’s meetings with the Indian leadership.