Army Chief leaves for UAE, Saudi Arabia

New Delhi, December 8

Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday left on a six-day (Dec 9 to 14) tour of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, in a first-ever visit by a head of the Indian Army to the two strategically important Gulf countries.

The Army Chief’s visit is seen as a reflection of India’s growing strategic ties with the two countries and is expected to further open up new avenues for cooperation in the defence and security sphere.

Gen Naravane’s visit comes in the midst of fast-paced developments in the Gulf region, including normalisation of Israel’s relations with several Arab countries as well as situation arising out of the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The Army Chief’s first destination will be the UAE, where he will meet senior military officials and discuss avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation. — PTI