KATHMANDU: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is arriving in Kathmandu today on a three-day visit at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa.
During his stay here, General Naravane will be conferred with the honorary title of Nepali Army chief – a historic tradition of displaying a unique closeness between Nepal and India.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will confer him with the title of honorary chief of the Nepali Army (NA) – a historic tradition of displaying special bonding between the two nations.
Also Read, Honorary title of Army Chief: A historic display of special bonding between Nepal and India
Nepal and India have a tradition of conferring the honorary title to each other’s army chief since 1950.
During his visit here, General Naravane will meet with his Nepali counterpart, General Thapa besides paying a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Oli, who also holds the defense minister’s portfolio.
He will pay homage at the martyrs’ memorial at the Army Pavilion, receiving a guard of honor in the Army Headquarters, holding meetings with his Nepali counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa and addressing student officers at the Army Command and Staff College, Shivapuri, according to Nepali Army Brigadier General and NA Spokesperson Santosh Ballav Paudel.
The visit is expected to shake an extended hand of friendship from both sides to restore the age-old relationship between two close nations, according to security experts.
Also Read, Naravane’s Nepal visit: More than a routine affair
The visit was approved by the Government of Nepal in February this year but was postponed due to the lockdown in both countries after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
General Naravane’s visit is seen with importance as it is the first high-level visit from India in the last one year.
Observers hope that the visit will turn out to be a new dawn in the relations as the two countries have a shared history, shared culture, shared religion, and shared geography.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, General Naravane had said his visit to Nepal will go a long way in strengthening the “bonds and friendships” that the armies of the two countries cherish, according to ANI.
He had said that it was going to be a great honor to be conferred with honoring rank of ‘General of the Nepal Army’ by Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
“I am delighted to be visiting Nepal on the kind invitation and to meet my counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa. I am sure that this visit will go a long way in strengthening the bonds and friendships that the two armies cherish,” ANI quoted General Naravane as saying.
Naravane is visiting Nepal for the first time after his appointment as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army in December 2019.
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