Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa to visit Myanmar, Malaysia

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa will be on a six-day visit to Myanmar and Malaysia from tomorrow with an aim to bolster India's defence cooperation with the two countries considered strategically important from the regional security perspective.

The Chief of Air Staff's first destination will be Myanmar where he will hold extensive talks with the top brass of the military establishment of that country on ways to deepen the bilateral defence engagement, officials said.

From Myanmar, he will travel to Malaysia for a three-day visit beginning September 5, they said.

In Malaysia, Air Chief Marshall Dhanoa will hold parleys with his Malaysian counterpart and other senior military officials on ways to strengthen cooperation between the air forces of the two countries.

The visit will be beneficial for enhancing the strong camaraderie and partnership that the nations and their air forces share, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee said.

During the visit, the Chief of Air Staff is scheduled to visit various operational establishments and interact with senior functionaries of the Myanmar and Malaysian air forces.

The main focus would be to share ideas, enhance mutual engagement and promote understanding, Banerjee said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a brief stopover in Malaysia earlier this year during which he had met the newly-elected Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohammad and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties.

India and Malaysia have been recently stepping up their engagement in the defence field.