Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Aziz Ahmed has expressed gratitude for India's help in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic

India's Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on a five-day visit to Bangladesh on Thursday handed over 100,000 Covid vaccine doses to Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Aziz Ahmed, a report in Dhaka Tribune said.

The visiting Indian Army chief called on his Bangladeshi counterpart at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment. The two Army Chiefs discussed strengthening of bilateral defence cooperation and strategic ties between the two countries said a tweet of Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army).

https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1380147990795444224?s=20

Issues related to border roads, training of Army pilots, exchange of defence experts and trainers, mutual defence cooperation were discussed, the Dhaka Tribune report noted.

Gen Naravane handed over 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Ahmed. Gen Aziz expressed gratitude for India's commendable cooperation in helping Dhaka tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

The Indian Army chief gifted a replica of T-55 Tank and a picture of 75/24 mm Howitzer. The original equipments are being gifted for museums of Bangladesh.

Both T-55 Tank and 75/24 mm Howitzer played a stellar role in the 1971 War of Liberation, the ADG PI- Indian Army said in another tweet.

https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1380149767733346306?s=20

According to ADG PI- Indian Army, Gen Naravane also met with the Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy, Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal and discussed issues of mutual interest.

He interacted with Air Vice Marshal M Abdul Bashar, Assistance Chief of Air Staff Operations of Bangladesh Air Force and discussed matters of bilateral defence cooperation.

Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived in Dhaka on Thursday on a five-day visit. The visit aims to further enhance the defence cooperation and strong bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh.

The Indian Chief of Army Staff's visit comes in the midst of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations which mark 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh, made possible by the historic leadership of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the heroics of the Mukti Bahini who fought shoulder to shoulder with the Indian Armed Forces.