Indian Army chief bats for UN peacekeepers 'Army Chiefs Conclave' in Bangladesh

Dhaka, April 12: Indian Army chief General MM Naravane attended the Army Chiefs’ Conclave held here on the sidelines of a multinational military exercise 'Shantir Ogroshena 2021'.

 

The Army chief, who is here on a five-day official tour, delivered a keynote address on Changing Nature of Global Conflicts: Role of UN Peacekeepers , the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) tweeted. During the event, the Army chief also interacted with the senior officers of the participating nations and military observers from the other nations.

 

 

 

His visit is aligned with Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations, which mark 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh, whereby the historic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and heroics of the Mukti Bahini who fought shoulder to shoulder with Indian Armed Forces, played a crucial role.

 

 

 

The Army chief's visit is expected to further deepen the bilateral relationships between armies of India and Bangladesh and act as a catalyst for closer coordination and cooperation between the two countries on a host of strategic issues.

 

The Shantir Ogroshena (Frontrunners of Peace) 2021 exercise commenced on April 4 at Bangabandhu Senanibas to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and mark 50 years of the country’s liberation from Pakistan.

 

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the procedures and enhance interoperability amongst neighbourhood countries to ensure robust peacekeeping operations in the region. An Indian Army contingent of 30 personnel are participating along with the Royal Bhutan Army, Sri Lankan Army and Bangladesh Army in the exercise that will conclude on Monday.

 

 

33 personnel from the Royal Bhutan Army and 30 from Sri Lankan Army are also participating in the event. A total 19 military observers from the USA, the UK, Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore are also attending the exercise. The armies of all the participating nations shared their valuable experiences and refined their drills and procedures in peacekeeping operations.

 

The visit of Gen Naravane, who is here at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart Gen Aziz Ahmed, comes less than two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the neighbouring country and met the top leadership here to strengthen the strategic ties.

 

 

The year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh, the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Mujibur Rahman.