To boost bilateral defence ties, India will be visited for four days by the Nepal Army chief General Prabhuram Sharma in the next month during which he will meet with his Indian counterpart General M M Naravane along with other service chiefs.
According to a government official, Sharma shall be leaving for New Delhi on 9 November while the President of India shall confer him with the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army.
BCGSI Meet
During the 14th meeting of the India-Nepal Bilateral Consultative Group on Security Issues (BCGSI) that was held in Bengaluru, it was announced that the Nepal Army chief would pay his visit to India while Sharma would be returning to Nepal on 12 November.
As a part of the meeting, bilateral cooperation in disaster management, training, capacity building requirements and mutual security concerns of defence forces of Nepal were some issues that figured prominently.
As said by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Nepalese Army needs various defence stores which were deliberated upon at the meeting.
While the Nepalese side at the talks was headed by the Joint Secretary (South Asia) in the Nepalese foreign ministry, the Indian delegation was led by the Joint Secretary (North) in the MEA.
Officials from foreign affairs, home affairs and ministries of defence of both nations were comprised in the delegations while the representatives of the Nepal Army and the Indian Army were also a part of the meeting.
A rough trail in 2020
In the previous year on May 8 when the Indian Defence Minister inaugurated the 80 km long strategically crucial road which connected Dharchula in Uttarakhand with Lipulekh pass, India and Nepal relations went through a rough patch.
The inauguration of the strategic road was strongly opposed by the Nepalese Prime Minister while on the other hand, a Constitution Amendment Bill was unanimously passed by Nepal’s Upper House for updating the country’s map and incorporated three Indian territories which are Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh.
Terming the move as a violation and an artificial enlargement of claims, Nepal’s decision was strongly protested by the Indian establishment.