KATHMANDU: Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane has arrived in Kathmandu.

He arrived in a special flight of the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Chief was welcomed by Lieutenant General Prabhu Ram Sharma at the VIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport.

General Navarane is in Kathmandu on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Nepali counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa.

Security and foreign policy experts have termed the Indian army chief’s visit another milestone in the progress of India-Nepal ties, saying that the visit will set Nepal-India ties back on track by creating a conducive environment for other high-level engagements between the two neighbours.

According to the same experts, Naravane’s visit would help mend ties between the two countries and dispel doubts created over recent visit of India’s Research and Analysis Wing’s Chief Samant Kumar Goel. Some leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had criticised the PM for meeting Goel.

During Naravane’s visit to Nepal, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will confer the honorary rank of general of Nepali Army on Naravane.

The Nepali and the Indian armies have a tradition of honouring each other’s chief by conferring the honorary rank of general on them in view of the close military ties shared by the two countries since decades.

General Naravane will pay homage to martyrs at Sainik Manch. He will also observe the guard of honour at Jungi Adda.

He will also interact with students of Command and Staff College.