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Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen & Friends of Bhutan,
My Ambassador has conveyed his deepest regrets for not being able to attend today’s auspicious event due to an urgent personal matter. Therefore, he has asked me to share the following message as we mark today’s important event.
It is an honor to be present here today with all the other distinguished guests for the auspicious occasion of the appointment of Dato’ Adam Htoon as the first Honorary Consul of Bhutan in the State of Victoria, and for the inauguration of his Office.
Let me warmly felicitate Dato’ Adam on this special occasion. This is indeed a significant development coming less than two years after the establishment of the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra in December 2021.
I had the good fortune of meeting with Dato’ Adam through a common Australian friend, who is also a close friend of Bhutan. Many who have known Dato’ Adam would attest that we have found an ideal and excellent candidate as Bhutan’s Honorary Consul. My Government was, therefore, pleased to grant its consent to his appointment.
It is also a good occasion today to recall the friendship between Bhutan and Australia that began in the early 1960s. In the last six decades, the relationship has grown and intensified due to the efforts of both Governments and the thousands of people-to-people linkages forged between Bhutanese and Australians.
Therefore, it was only natural that diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 2002. And 20 years later, with the large and growing presence of Bhutanese in Australia and the vast opportunities to expand bilateral relations, my Government took the inevitable step to open an Embassy in Canberra.
As we celebrated the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations last year, we were pleased to have the Foreign Minister of Bhutan make an official visit to Australia in September last year. This was followed by a reciprocal visit to Bhutan in May this year by The Hon. Tim Watts, Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister. Bhutan was also honored to receive a Parliamentary and Business delegation from Western Australia led by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in June this year.
These high-level visits allowed for the exchange of views between the leadership of the two countries on areas of mutual interest and benefit. In addition, several educational linkages have been established and business operations have commenced. Many more opportunities are being explored. All of these are contributing to further strengthening the bilateral relations between Australia and Bhutan.
It is in the context of the growing and expanding relations between our two countries that Dato’ Adam’s appointment comes at an opportune moment. Dato’ Adam is well known for his business acumen and entrepreneurial skills in building a successful airline and a telecommunication company in Southeast Asia. He has been living in Australia for over 20 years where he has applied the same entrepreneurial zeal and has continued to achieve success with his business ventures.
I am confident Dato’ Adam will bring his entrepreneurial and cross-cultural experiences in discharging his important responsibilities as Honorary Consul in the State of Victoria. I have no doubt that he will further contribute to strengthen the relations between the State of Victoria and Bhutan at all levels.
There is an active Bhutanese Association in Melbourne called the Druk Melbourne Association, and I know that its President, Ms. Ugyen Choden, who is also the MC today, is enthusiastic about working closely with Dato’ Adam.
Let me assure Dato’ Adam that my colleagues and I at the Embassy will always be available to extend our full support to you. We wish you every success and look forward to our close partnership in pursuing many activities that would add further substance to the bilateral relations between Bhutan and Australia.
Thank You!