Chief of the Army Saff Gen. Manoj Naravane on Tuesday left on a four-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. The visit to Saudi Arabia is the first by an Indian Army Chief, symbolising the deepening military cooperation between the two countries.
“The Army Chief is visiting the UAE from December 9 and 10, 2020. He is scheduled to call on senior military officials where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-UAE defence relations,” the Army said in a statement.
Carbines deal
The issue of a pending deal for 93,895 close-quarter carbines with Caracal for the Indian Army was expected to be raised by the UAE side, an official source said. The trip has been delayed by a couple of days from the original schedule. It also comes close after the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the UAE.
The Army Chief will travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the second leg of his tour from December 13 to 14. “He will take forward the excellent defence cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India through multiple meetings with senior functionaries of security establishment and exchange views on various defence related issues,” the Army said.
Gen. Naravane will visit the Headquarters of Royal Saudi Land Force, the Joint Force Command Headquarters and King Abdulaziz Military Academy. He is also scheduled to visit the National Defence University and address the students and faculty at the institution.
Last year, India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence industries collaboration and an agreement on security cooperation.
