Indian army chief due by month-end
FE Report | Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Indian army chief General Deepak Kapoor is coming to Dhaka later this month on a three-day visit, officials said Monday.
Mr. Kapoor is expected to arrive here on July 28. His visit comes just a few months after Bangladesh army chief General Moeen U Ahmed visited India with the promise of "ushering in a new era of close cooperation".
General Ahmed visited India in February this year.
The visit by Indian army chief is taking place against the backdrop of a mounting tension on the border between the two countries. Two members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were killed by Indian troops Friday last. Bangladesh protested the incident officially.
A recent meeting between Bangladeshi foreign secretary Mohammad Touhid Hossain and his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon stressed on the need to resolutely tackle terrorism jointly.
It is expected that the issue of terrorism in the region will figure high in the talks between the two army chiefs.
Moeen's visit to India was described as highly significant because of the army's support to Bangladesh's present caretaker government.
The relationship between the two armies has, so far, remained professional. During Moeen's India visit it was decided that new initiatives would be taken to deepen the military cooperation, paving the way for joint counter-terrorism exercises and possibly joint patrolling along the border.
Officials said the border issue is now unlikely to be raised at the meeting of two army chiefs. The issue will be prominent at the home secretary level meeting in Dhaka next month. The Indian side has reportedly appreciated Dhaka's concerns and agreed to work out a mechanism at the home secretary level meeting to stop killings along the border.
Sources said in the Dhaka meet of the home secretaries Bangladesh will raise the issue of the killings of its BDR soldiers and civilians on the border while the Indian side will ask Dhaka for an early deportation of United Liberation Front leader Anup Chetia.
Mr. Kapoor is expected to arrive here on July 28. His visit comes just a few months after Bangladesh army chief General Moeen U Ahmed visited India with the promise of "ushering in a new era of close cooperation".
General Ahmed visited India in February this year.
The visit by Indian army chief is taking place against the backdrop of a mounting tension on the border between the two countries. Two members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were killed by Indian troops Friday last. Bangladesh protested the incident officially.
A recent meeting between Bangladeshi foreign secretary Mohammad Touhid Hossain and his Indian counterpart Shiv Shankar Menon stressed on the need to resolutely tackle terrorism jointly.
It is expected that the issue of terrorism in the region will figure high in the talks between the two army chiefs.
Moeen's visit to India was described as highly significant because of the army's support to Bangladesh's present caretaker government.
The relationship between the two armies has, so far, remained professional. During Moeen's India visit it was decided that new initiatives would be taken to deepen the military cooperation, paving the way for joint counter-terrorism exercises and possibly joint patrolling along the border.
Officials said the border issue is now unlikely to be raised at the meeting of two army chiefs. The issue will be prominent at the home secretary level meeting in Dhaka next month. The Indian side has reportedly appreciated Dhaka's concerns and agreed to work out a mechanism at the home secretary level meeting to stop killings along the border.
Sources said in the Dhaka meet of the home secretaries Bangladesh will raise the issue of the killings of its BDR soldiers and civilians on the border while the Indian side will ask Dhaka for an early deportation of United Liberation Front leader Anup Chetia.