Annual Bhutan Day of the Friends of Bhutan Netherlands Association

At the invitation of the Friends of Bhutan Netherlands Association, Ambassador of Bhutan to the Netherlands Pema Choden attended the Annual Bhutan Day in Utrecht on 22nd February 2020.

Speaking at the event, the Ambassador thanked the members for their continued friendship and goodwill towards Bhutan. She also thanked the association members who visited Bhutan in November 2019 with other Friendship Societies in Europe, as such visits help to strengthen friendship and foster new contacts. She informed the members of the recent developments in Bhutan and the relations between Bhutan, the Netherlands and the European Union. She also informed the gathering of the joyful announcement that Their Majesties The King and Gyaltsuen are expecting a Royal Baby in the spring. 

The members of the Association shared their experiences of living and working in Bhutan and the Netherlands. A Dutch documentary film “the Tower” dedicated to His Royal Highness the Gyalsey was also screened. The film is about the discovery of new invertebrate species in Bhutan through a joint collaboration between Naturalis, the Dutch Biodiversity Centre and the National Biodiversity Centre of Bhutan.

The event was attended by over 55 Dutch and Bhutanese members of the Association, [officials from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs], and Bhutanese studying in the Netherlands. Mr. Cornelius Klein, Honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the Netherlands also attended the event.

The Friends of Bhutan Netherlands Association was founded in 1989. Mr. Wim van Gelder is the Chairman and Ms. Loni Verkerk is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Association while Members of the Board are Mr. Cornelis Klein, Mr. Pieter Lammers, Ms. Karma Pem, Mr. Hans van Noord and Ms. Manusika Rai.

Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Brussels