NEW DELHI, Nov 4: General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of the Indian Army staff, reached Kathmandu in a special flight of the Indian Air Force (IAF). On his arrival, General Prabhu Ram Sharma the Lieutenant General received him at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.
The Embassy of India in Kathmandu tweeted “Gen. MM Naravane #COAS begins a 3-day trip to Nepal today on invitation of the COAS Nepal Army. Lt Gen PR Sharma, Chief of General Staff, Nepal Army received him at TIA Kathmandu this morning”.
General Naravane is on a three-day visit to Kathmandu, during which he will have talks with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Nepalese counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa.
The visit of the Indian Army Chief is a major landmark in the development of India-Nepal relations, and is expected to establish a favourable atmosphere for further high-level interactions between the two neighbours.
During his visit to Nepal, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will confer the honorary rank of General of the Nepalese Army on Naravane.
The Nepalese and Indian armies since 1950, have a tradition of recognising each other’s chiefs by awarding them the honorary rank of general in view of the close military relations that have been, established by the two countries for decades.
During January 2019, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, gave the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army on the Chief of Staff of Nepal, Purna Chandra Thapa. President Kovind had then tweeted, “We award Thapa with the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army for his military prowess and his contribution to cultivating Nepal’s long and peaceful relationship with India.”
During the visit, General Naravane will pay homage to the Sainik Manch martyrs. He will also watch the guard of honour at Jungi Adda and will also communicate with the students of the Command and Staff College.
(Venkatesh Iyer)