Army Chief to visit UAE, Saudi Arabia next week

New Delhi, Dec 4: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane is scheduled for a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next week. This is Army Chief's third foreign trip this year after he visited Nepal and Myanmar earlier.

 

During the visit, the Army Chief would be meeting the military leadership of the two countries. He will spend two days each in both West Asian countries, that is to home to nine million Indians in the region. The visits are seen as strengthening the ties between India and these West Asian countries as External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had traveled to Bahrain and the UAE during November 24-26.

 

In October, Army Chief accompanied foreign secretary Harsh Shringla on a visit to Myanmar, where they held talks with the senior leadership, including Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, on security and development cooperation.

 

Last month, Naravane went on a three-day visit to Kathmandu helping to improve the ties after a border row over a new political map issued by Kathmandu that included Indian territories. He met Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli. He also gifted medical equipment, including X-ray machines, computed radiography systems, ICU ventilators, video endoscopy units and anesthesia machines, for two field hospitals of the Nepali Army.

 

The Indian Army Chief was conferred the honorary rank of General of Nepal Army by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari. He was also presented with a sword and scroll during the function in the presence of Prime Minister Oli, Indian Ambassador Vinay M Kwatra and other senior officials of both countries.

 

The visits also come at a time when Pakistan’s ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are strained. Saudia Arabia had sharply reacted after Islamabad’s criticized Riyadh’s position on the Kashmir issue. Recently, it sought the early repayment of a $3-billion loan provided to the Imran Khan government in 2018.

 

Following this, Prime Minister Imran Khan had made an unsuccessful attempt to forge a new grouping of Islamic countries with Turkey and Malaysia – a move that further irked Riyadh.