Dubai: Chief of Army Staff Gen. MM Naravane has met Commander of the UAE’s Land Forces and Staff Major General Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Ameri and discussed key issues of mutual interest and defence cooperation, the Indian Army said on Friday.
Gen. Naravane is currently on a six-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, in a first-ever visit by a head of the Indian Army to the two strategically important Gulf countries.
According to the Indian Army, Gen. Naravane on Wednesday received a Guard of Honour at the headquarters of the UAE’s Land Forces and laid a wreath at the Martyr’s Point.
“#COAS also interacted with Major General Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Ameri, Commander #LandForces & Staff and discussed issues of mutual interest & defence cooperation,” the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information said in a tweet on Friday.
It said that Gen. Naravane also visited the Land Forces Institute, Infantry School and Armour School on Thursday.
The Army chief’s visit to the UAE aims to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, it added.
His 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 the 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.