Chief of Army Staff embarks on a two-day visit to Bangladesh

The COAS visited Bangladesh in July 2022, on his first foreign visit after his assumption as Army Chief,” the Ministry of Defence said.

Bolstering defence relations between New Delhi and Dhaka will be an important point of discussion during Chief of Army Staff Gen. Manoj Pande’s visit to Bangladesh.

The Army Chief is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh today for a two-day visit from June 5 to June 6, where he will engage in deliberations with senior Bangladeshi military officials, focusing on avenues for further strengthening defence ties between the two nations.

In a statement released, providing details of Gen. Pande’s visit, the Ministry of Defence said, “General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) has proceeded on a two-day visit to Bangladesh from 05 to 06 June 2023. During the visit, the Army Chief will be meeting the senior military leadership of Bangladesh where he will discuss avenues for further enhancing Indo-Bangladesh defence relations.

In addition to meetings with high-ranking Bangladesh military officials, during the visit, the Indian Army Chief will also review the passing out parade of officer cadets belonging to the 84th Long Course at the Bangladesh Military Academy in Chattogram.

Sharing the details of the same, the Ministry of Defence added, “On 6th June, the COAS will be reviewing the Passing Out Parade (POP) of officer cadets of the 84th Long Course at the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA), Chattogram. During the parade, the Army Chief will be presenting the ‘Bangladesh India Friendship Trophy’ instituted for Best Foreign Cadet (from Friendly Foreign Countries) of the Passing Out Course from BMA. The first trophy, this year is being awarded to Officer Cadet Everton of Tanzania. This trophy is in reciprocation to ‘Bangladesh Trophy and Medal’ instituted at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun in December 2021 for Best Foreign Cadet of Passing Out Course. Notably, the Army Chief will be reviewing the POP at IMA, Dehradun on 10 June 2023 and present the Bangladesh Medal & Trophy.”

It is worth noting that Gen. Pande’s visit to Bangladesh follows Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed’s recent visit to India in April. During their meetings, the officials deliberated on various issues aimed at enhancing and strengthening interoperability, training, anti-terrorism collaboration, and overall bilateral cooperation