Nepal, March 28 -- Bhutan has recently seen high-profile visits from its neighbours. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a two-day visit to the country on March 22-23. Newly elected Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay paid his first official visit to India on March 14-18. The Bhutanese king is currently touring Bangladesh. Within the Bhutan-Bangladesh-India-Nepal (BBIN) framework, these visits would further subregional cooperation, though Bhutan has yet to ratify the BBIN-Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA). Attempts are being made to get Bhutan into the framework, as subregionalism has recently been boosted while the subcontinental grouping, SAARC, remains defunct.

There were speculations over the purpose of Modi's visit, as India h...