Last updated in March 2010
Political relations
There are official contacts via the respective embassies in New Delhi. Bhutan first officially stated its interest in cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany and its wish for economic cooperation in 1978. Following the first official visit to Bhutan by the German Ambassador in New Delhi in February 1979, a delegation of three members of the German parliament visited the Himalayan kingdom in December 1983, the first such visit ever made. The delegation was received by the Foreign Minister. During several visits to Bhutan by the German Ambassador (most recently in November 2008 to attend the new king’s coronation), the landlocked country’s interest in cautiously developing relations with Germany was expressed in talks with the king, cabinet ministers and members of the public administration.
The two-day visit by Germany’s former Federal President von Weizsäcker in November 2000 was prepared and staged by the Bhutanese side as if it were a state visit. Von Weizsäcker had talks with, among others, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Zimba and King Wangchuck.
In June 2008 again in October 2009, a New Delhi Embassy delegation visited Bhutan on a fact-finding mission, holding talks with parliamentarians, among others, on the new political order.
Within the limits of its foreign policy, Bhutan has shown itself amenable and willing to cooperate on German UN initiatives. It has supported Germany in elections and votes on many occasions.Consular relations between Germany and Bhutan were established at the close of 2000. The official residence of Bhutan’s Honorary Consul is near Stuttgart
Economic relations
Bilateral economic relations leave room for improvement. In 2008, Germany imported goods worth approximately EUR 0.6 million from Bhutan (a rise of 200 per cent compared with the previous year) and exported goods worth EUR 3.4 million to Bhutan (a rise of 79 per cent compared with the previous year). Important German exports to Bhutan are machinery, electrical goods, paper and manufacturing plant. The principal imports from Germany are ferro-alloys, iron and steel pipes, peels and dried fruits and chemical pre-products. Bhutan ranks 193rd among importers of German products and 196th among Germany’s suppliers.
Development cooperation
Bilateral government development cooperation with Bhutan ended in 2006. In recent years, the number of partner countries of German development cooperation has been reduced to enable the provision of aid to be made more effective, significant and efficient in those countries where Germany is still actively involved as part of an international division of responsibilities. However, Germany continues to provide financial support for measures being conducted by international organizations active in Bhutan, e.g. the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Union (EU) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
In addition, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports civil-society engagement above and beyond the bilateral government development cooperation. And it helps fund projects by non-governmental organizations in countries like Bhutan, too, that no longer belong to the group of partner countries, provided the funding criteria are met. The Senior Expert Service (SES), for example, is active in Bhutan. In 2010, deployments are planned in the tourism, broadcasting and health-care sectors.
For many years now, Bhutan has taken advantage of the basic and further training measures offered in Germany (e.g. via InWent – Capacity Building International, Germany and the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle) and is generally interested in economic cooperation. Numerous German non-governmental organizations are active in Bhutan and maintain their own contacts to partner organizations there. For example, the BMZ cooperates with the German business sector to promote projects by microfinance service providers, including support via the Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (Public Private Partnership).
Cultural exchange
Over the past few years, Germany has supported several cultural preservation projects in Bhutan, the most recent being the reconstruction of cantilever bridge at the historic Dzong (fortress monasteries) in Punakha, which was officially opened by Bhutan’s Prime Minister on 10 May 2008.
The newly established Trongsa Penlop Library, a public library in the Thimphu Valley, received a generous donation of books from the German Embassy in 2008.
Support is provided for postgraduate courses with relevance to developing countries, during which young executives from Bhutan’s administrative sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receive practice-oriented training in Germany. Each year, three or four Bhutanese applicants are awarded scholarships enabling them to study for two years and obtain a Master’s degree.
