Bhutan ties relation with Cuba!
I wake up this morning and astonished to see Sonam Ongmo writing in her blog breaking news from the UNGA premises. And this tip of American of Bhutanese origin, encouraged me to search more about Bhutan-Cuba relations.
According to her, today, Bhutan and Cuba signed agreement to establish diplomatic relations. They are at a distance of 14,433 kilometres. It could be a surprise development for general public for Bhutan that has diplomatic relations with very few countries, to travel to Caribbean island to tie the knot, rejecting offers from a number of countries including the US.
US and Bhutan have major differences on Cuban matters. Repeated US requests to support its proposal for economic blockage on Cuba have been rejected by the Bhutanese government. A secret cable US embassy in Delhi wrote in November, after a diplomatic visit to Bhutan in April 2005, reads:
8. (C) DCM expressed appreciation for Bhutan’s abstention on the 2004 Cuba UNCHR resolution and predicted another very close vote on April 14-15. He outlined evidence that Cuba’s human rights record had deteriorated in the last year and urged Bhutan to support a resolution condemning Cuba for its abysmal record. FS replied that even an abstention poses a very difficult problem for Bhutan because of the support Cuba has extended Bhutan on the Bhutanese refugee issue. The DCM reiterated that Bhutan’s vote would be critical to the United States and many other countries and could be decisive.
9. (C) Before leaving DCM urged that Bhutan ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention as soon as possible. The FS noted that she expects the Bhutanese parliament to ratify the CWC in June.
(Note: DCM was Ribert O Blake)
Bhutan currently has resident representatives to India, Bangladesh and Kuwait and non-resident representative or consulate in Thailand, Belgium, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Denmark, United Kingdom and few other countries. And It has not risen so satisfactorily in establishing relations with the world even after eliminating provisions of Indian dictatorship on Bhutanese foreign policy.
Bhutan’s decision to tie relation with this Caribbean nation comes at the cost of Cuba’s support on Bhutanese refugee issue and continued support that Cuba provided to improve health sector in Bhutan. Cuba provides large number of scholarship to Bhutan (10 in 2010) to study medicines every year besides financial assistance. Bhutan is admirer of Cuba health care system.
This is the first communist nation that Bhutan entered into diplomatic relations though Bhutan has become closer to China in recent year (yet no diplomatic relations). The initiative comes shortly after Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley’s statement at the UN General Assembly where he criticised the capitalist-supported GDP, which, according to him, turned human being into monster of consumerism.
Bhutanese elites have god terms with Cuba since the reign of third king Jigme Dorji but that did not flourish a much. Fourth king met with Cuban leaders as part of the NAM summit and built closer relations. King Jigme Singye is a major consumer of Cuban Cigar, a photo of which I had posed earlier.
Bhutan and Cuba have similar stories in terms of relation with the US. The US invites refugees from both the countries who have been the victims of government atrocities. Both the countries stand on same platform against US sanction on other states. And the US wants to use both the countries for regional interests.
Additionally, Cuba has been a major supporter of Bhutan against repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees. Fortunately, both the countries are under family rule.
Above all, Jigmi Thinley is a good fan of Fidel Castro, who only recently stepped down to handover power to his brother Rahul. In July this year, Thinley had received Cuban ambassador to India Miguel Angel Ramirez in Thimphu. Thinley on that occasion had admired Castro of this able leadership.
The Prime Minister was keen to find ways to strengthen exchanges in the field of health and highlighted the valuable contribution of Cuba to train Bhutanese doctors and the two Bhutanese medicine scholarships recently offered by the Cuban authorities to the country.
Formal announcement of the agreement is yet to be out.
Compare Bhutan and Cuba