Gen Naravane attends ‘Army Chiefs’ Conclave’ in Bangladesh

Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Sunday attended the Army Chiefs’ Conclave held on the sidelines of a multinational military exercise. Gen Naravane, who is 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.

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.

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. Military observers from the US, UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Singapore are also attending the exercise.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the procedures and enhance interoperability amongst neighbourhood countries to ensure robust peacekeeping operations in the region. 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.