Army chief to begin four-day visit of Australia tomorrow

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Bikram Singh will proceed on a four-day goodwill visit to Australia from September 3.

During the visit, General Singh is scheduled to interact with senior political and military dignitaries of Australia, and will also visit a field formation and the Australian Staff College, an army release said.

The visit assumes special significance in the light of improving economic and military cooperation between the two countries in consonance with our growing relationship with Australia and is in continuum to Defence Minister A.K.Antony's visit to Australia in June this year.

Relations between India and Australia have always been close and cordial. A structured mechanism is in place both at the MEA and the MoD level, and the bilateral cooperation, based on a shared partnership and mutuality of interest, has seen a significant expansion to include all areas of mutual interest.

It is expected that General Singh's visit will contribute significantly to the consolidation of the existing ties and give a boost to the cordial relations between the Australian and the Indian Armies.

It is essential that we maintain and further enhance the current architecture of our defence cooperation, in addition to Defence Policy Talks, Army to Army Staff Talks, training and promotion of mutually beneficial exchanges between the armies of the two countries to further the bonds between the two countries.