As part of increasing defence cooperation between India and France, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Manoj Pande has left on a visit to France.
During the four-day visit, Gen Pande will meet his counterparts and senior military leadership of France with an aim to further deepening defence cooperation between the two nations.
During the visit, the Army chief will lay a wreath at Neuve Chapelle Indian Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifices of 4,742 Indian soldiers during the First World War.
He is scheduled to call on the Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of the Army Staff, and Commander Commandement des Forces Terrestres (CFT) / Command of the Land Combat Forces, where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-France defence relations.
Gen Pande will be visiting Ecole Militaire, comprising various military training establishments in Paris and address Senior Staff Officers attending a course at Ecole de Guerra-T. He will also be visiting Military Schools at Draguignan, which are premier training establishments that train commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers.
The ever-expanding defence cooperation engagements which encompass a broad spectrum of activities have established a strong bonhomie across every level of the two armies.
The visit of Gen Pande to France will further strengthen the bonds of trust and understanding between the two armies, the Defence Ministry said.