General Naravane in Kathmandu to strengthen India, Nepal defence ties

India's Army Chief, General MM Naravane, arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday for a three-day visit to further strengthen strategic and defence cooperation between India and Nepal. General Naravane, landed in the Nepali capital on Wednesday on the invitation of his Nepali Counterpart, General Purna Chandra Thapa.

"General MM Naravane #COAS proceeded on a three-day visit to #Nepal. The visit aims to further strengthen strategic and defense cooperation between the two countries. The COAS will be conferred with honorary rank of General of Nepali Army tomorrow," Additional Directorate General of Public Information, Indian Army tweeted. During his visit, Naravane would be accorded the rank of honorary General of the Nepali Army by Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari amid a ceremony on Thursday afternoon.

General Naravane will also pay homage at the Martyr's Memorial in the Army Pavilion, receiving a guard of honor at Army Headquarters and also hold meetings with his Nepali counterpart, General Thapa. He is also set to address student officers at the Army Command and Staff College in Shivapuri, as well as call on Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also the Defence Minister of the Himalayan country.

Conferring the highest rank to the chiefs of each other's militaries is a tradition that has been followed by Nepal and India since 1950 after then Indian army Chief General KM Cariappa visited Nepal.