New Delhi (NVI): Army Chief Gen MM Naravane today arrived in Bangladesh on a five-day visit to further strengthen bilateral and defence ties between the two countries, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Dhaka.
Soon after landing in Dhaka, the Army Chief paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by laying wreath at Shikha Anirban.
“General MM Naravane #COAS paid tributes to the valiant soldiers, who laid down their lives during the Liberation War of 1971, by laying Wreath at #ShikhaAnirban. He also received a Guard of Honour at #Senakunj #Bangladesh,” the Indian Army tweeted from its official handle.
General MM Naravane #COAS paid tributes to the valiant soldiers, who laid down their lives during the Liberation War of 1971, by laying Wreath at #ShikhaAnirban. He also received a Guard of Honour at #Senakunj #Bangladesh. #IndiaBangladeshFriendship pic.twitter.com/DxvLwU6Ute
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 8, 2021
After this, the COAS will have one to one meetings with the three Service Chiefs of the Bangladesh’s Armed Forces.
Gen. Naravane will also visit the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi, where he will pay tributes to Bangladesh’s founding father.
Apart from that, the COAS will interact with Bangladesh’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 11 at Bangladesh Army’s Multipurpose Complex in Dhaka where he will attend a seminar on UN Peace Support Operations and deliver a keynote address on “Changing Nature of Global Conflicts: Role of UN Peacekeepers”.
The Army Chief is also scheduled to interact with the Force Commanders of the United Nations Missions in Mali, South Sudan and Central African Republic and the Deputy Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutanese Army on 12 April 2021.
He will also attend the closing ceremony of Exercise ‘Shantir Ogrosena’, a multilateral UN-mandated counter-terrorism exercise comprising the Armed Forces of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka along with observers from the US, UK, Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among others. The Chief will also witness the innovations of the Bangladeshi Armed Forces personnel during the Hardware Display.
The COAS will interact with the members of Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support and Training Operations (BIPSOT) during the last leg of his visit.
“This visit will further deepen the bilateral relationships between the two Armies and act as a catalyst for closer coordination and cooperation between the two countries on a host of strategic issues,” MoD said.
Gen. Naravane’s visit from April 8-12 comes in the midst of “Swarnim Vijay Varsh” celebrations which mark 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh, “made possible by the historic leadership of the Bôngobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and heroics of the Mukti Bahini who fought shoulder to shoulder with Indian Armed Forces,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
-ARK
