Thimphu | Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck here on Friday as he began his two-day State visit to the Himalayan nation.

Modi was accorded a grand welcome before receiving an audience with the King.

His State visit to Bhutan seeks to further cement India's unique relations with the Himalayan nation as part of the country's 'Neighbourhood First' Policy.

Hours after his arrival earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi said he was grateful to the Bhutanese people for according to him a "memorable welcome" to their beautiful country and asserted that may India-Bhutan friendship "keep scaling new heights" "I am grateful to the people of Bhutan, especially the young children, for the memorable welcome to their beautiful country," Modi wrote in a post on 'X' and also shared pictures of him interacting with a cross-section of people of Bhutan.

The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan and the Government's emphasis on its Neighbourhood First Policy, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.