New Delhi: Army Chief General V K Singh will
embark on a four-day official visit to Tajikistan from
tomorrow, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations and defence
cooperation with the Central Asian nation.
Singh will be in Tajikistan till November 13 and during
the visit he will interact with that country`s top security
leadership.
"The Army Chief`s visit will further cement our defence
relationship with a key friendly country in our extended
neighbourhood and provide an impetus to our defence
cooperation roadmap in Central Asia," an Army press release
said here today.
"The visit assumes special significance in the light of
enhanced defence cooperation between the two countries. The
Army Chief`s visit underpins India`s priorities in maintaining
peaceful and cordial ties with her immediate and extended
neighbourhood," it added.
India was one of the first countries to recognise
Tajikistan as an independent nation and there have been a
series of high-level visits between the two countries to build
up trust and mutual confidence.
Both sides have indicated a desire to further strengthen
people-to-people contact, military-to-military cooperation
and cultural bonds.
In the early part of the 21st Century, India had
reconstructed the Aini air base outside Tajikistan`s capital
Dushanbe.
President Prathiba Patil had a very successful state
visit to Tajikistan in September 2009, which was the first
ever by an Indian President to any Central Asian country.
Defence cooperation between the two friendly countries
was formalised through various basic agreements from 2001-02.
PTI
