Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade RGOB
Foreign Minister Lyonpo (Dr.) TandiDorjiwill be on an official visit to Australia from 10 to 16 September 2022 as part of the celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bhutan and Australia on 14th September 2022. Foreign Minister will visit Perth, Canberra, and Sydney.
This is the second visit to Australia by a Foreign Minister of Bhutan in 19 years. The first was in 2003, one year after Bhutan and Australia established diplomatic relations.
The Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet with his counterpart Senator The Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs who is also the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Foreign Ministerwill also meet with other key ministers and leaders in the Federal and State Governments, and interact with Federal Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly. Foreign Minister will visit Universities, meet with their faculties and interact with Bhutanese students. He will also interact with the growing Bhutanese communities in Perth and Canberra.
Bhutan and Australia’s relationship dates back to the early 1960s when Bhutan secured membership to the Colombo Plan through Australia’s support. Since then, education and human resource development remain the central pillar of the bilateral relationship, which has led to Australia becoming a highly preferred destination for Bhutanese seeking higher education and employment opportunities.
In honour of the Foreign Minister’s visit and to mark the start of the 20th anniversary period, two national monuments in Canberra, the National Carillon and the Old Parliament House, will be lit up in the colours of the flag of Bhutan on the night of Wednesday, 14 September 2022.
