Indian Army Chief in Dhaka

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived in Dhaka on a five-day visit on Thursday and soon after honoured the armed forces martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh war by placing a wreath at the "Eternal Flame" in Dhaka Cantonment. The Indian army chief's visit on the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart General Aziz Ahmed follows a number of successive high-level visits from India, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who joined this South Asian country's 50 years of Independence, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman;s birth centenary and also Golden Jubilee of diplomatic ties Dhaka and New Delhi.

During the recent visit of Mr. Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina agreed that Dhaka and New Delhi must take the "tested friendship" to newer heights in the coming days.Analysts said under the changing geo-political realities and security issues linked to Chinese ambitions as well as those brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic requires more interaction between the two South Asian neighbours.

A group of Freedom Fighters from Bangladesh were guests of the Indian government lasy years to mark the Victory Day on 16 and a contingent of this country's Armed Forces paraded as the third country to be invited in India's National Day parade.The visit of the Army Chief coincides with India's "Swarnim Vijay Varsh" marking the 50 years of the Bangladesh war in which New Delhi backed the Freedom Fighters with whom Indian soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder and many were martyred.

Bangladesh is constructing a memorial in their memory.  General Naravane is accompanied by his spouse, Mrs. Veena Naravane and a two member delegation.The Indian Army Chief is scheduled to pay courtesy calls to the Army, Navy and acting Air Force Chiefs of Bangladesh and meet other senior officers of the Bangladesh Army. He will also be visiting various military stations.

General Naravane will share his experience during the seminar on United Nations Peace Support Operations. He will also witness the culmination exercise, hardware display and closing ceremony of the joint military Exercise Shantir Ogroshena.  "Visit of the Indian Army Chief will further strengthen the close and fraternal ties existing between the Armed Forces of the two countries," the country's high commission in Dhaka said in a statement.

On arrival he was a given a guard of honour by a Bangladesh Army contingent and then he drove straight to the Eternal Flame. He will also pay his respects to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during a visit to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi area.He will hold talks with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at the Army Multipurpose Complex where he will present a key-note paper on "Changing Nature of World Conflicts: The Role of UN Peacekeepers."

According to reports from New Delhi, General Naravane will meet ForceCommanders from South Sudan, Central African Republic and Mali. A meeting is also scheduled with Bhutanese Deputy Chief Operations Officer.He has a busy schedule during the five days and will join the closing cerem

ony of the UN-mandated Joint Exercise by Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka named "Shantir Ogrishena." Observers from UK, USA, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be present. He will visit the famed Bangladesh Peace Support and Training Operation in Gaziupt district, near Dhaka.He will witness the innovations of the Bangladesh Armed Forces at a Hardware Display.