At the invitation of the German-Bhutan Himalaya Society, Ambassador Pema Choden and officials from the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Brussels attended the Bhutan Day Annual General Assembly of the Society, on April 13 in Bonn.

This year’s theme was “Development Cooperation between the EU and the Kingdom of Bhutan,” states a foreign ministry press release.Member of the European Parliament and member of the Parliamentary Delegation for relations with South Asia, Ulrike Mueller, and Head of the South Asia Section, Department of International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission Dr Stefan Lock, were invited as special guests.

The ambassador spoke about Bhutan’s successful cooperation with the EU, the evolution of the friendly relations and the prospects of continued successful collaboration. Presentations were also made on activities and projects implemented by members of the Society. Vice President of the Society and Buddhist scholar Gregor Verhufen, made a presentation on the preservation of Bhutan’s traditional calligraphic, xylographic and print culture.

The honorary President of the Society, Professor Manfred Gernersharedthe completion report on the project on safety and improved accessibility with traditional architectural features at the Membar Tsho in Bumthang. A long-term expert of the Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation (German Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation, Bernd Bahr, spoke about the micro-financing project implemented by RENEW since 2011 in Bhutan.

The German-Bhutan Himalaya Society was first founded in 1984. Members include Germans who have previously lived and worked in Bhutan as well as other German individuals with an interest in Bhutan. The President of the Society is Reinhard Wolf.

Staff reporter