In a clear indication of the growing bilateral military ties between India and Bangladesh, chief of the Bangladesh Army, General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan on Monday arrived here on a four-day visit during which the two sides are expected to further deepen their Army-to-Army cooperation.
And the visiting General kicked off his engagements here by calling on Union Defence Minister A K Antony. Later, Bhuiyan met his Indian counterpart General Bikram Singh as well as Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi.
He is also scheduled to hold talks with Air Force chief N A K Browne.
The Bangla General’s itinerary also includes visits to some Indian military academies and training institutions to gain firsthand knowledge of their functioning. Bhuiyan’s visit carries considerable significance since bilateral ties between the two neighbouring nations have vastly improved in recent years. Also, the General’s India trip is a return visit following the Army Chief’s journey to Dhaka. Air Chief Marshal Browne too had visited Dhaka last year.
Recently, the special forces of the two countries held the second edition of the joint exercise ‘Sampriti’at Agra.
The mutual visits by the defence chiefs and the joint exercises are part of the efforts by New Delhi and Dhaka to deepen their ties on the military front too, apart from the political and economic sectors.
The two sides are also keen on carrying out joint counter-terrorism operations.