KATHMANDU: Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri left for the Philippines to participate in the Annual Chiefs of Defence Conference (CHOD) 2016 on Saturday.

The CHOD, jointly organised by the United States Pacific Command and Philippine Army, is an annual conference of military chiefs of Asia-Pacific region.

The conference is going to be held on September 5-7 in Manila, the Capital of Philippines this year, the Nepal Army Directorate of Public Relations informed in a statement today.

Lieutenant General Baldev Raj Mahat saw off General Chhetri at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu yesterday.

After participating in the CHOD, General Chhetri would directly go to Seoul in South Korea for the Defence Expo Korea 2016 organised by Republic of Korea Army.

The expo would be held from September 7 to 10.

According to the NA DPR, such programmes would help elevate mutual relationship between Nepal Army and armies of other friendly nations to a new height.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Mahat would take charges as the Acting Army Chief in Chhetri's absence, the statement informed.

Chhetri would return from the visit on September 11, according to the statement.