New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS): India and Nepal will carry out joint military training exercise 'Surya Kiran' at Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh from September 20, the Indian Army announced on Friday.

During this exercise, an infantry battalion from the Indian Army and a formation of equivalent strength from Nepali Army would be sharing their experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over a prolonged period in their respective countries.

As part of the exercise, both the armies would familiarise themselves with each other's weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques, and procedures of operating in a counter-insurgency environment in mountainous terrain. Also, there would be a series of expert academic discussions on various subjects such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), high-altitude warfare, jungle warfare etc.

The joint military training would culminate with a gruelling 48 hours exercise to validate the performance of both the armies in counter-insurgency in mountainous terrain.

"The exercise is part of an initiative to develop inter-operability and sharing expertise between the two nations," the Indian Army said.

This joint military training will go a long way in improving bilateral relations and also will be a major step towards further strengthening the traditional friendship between the two nations, it added.

The last edition of Exercise Surya Kiran was conducted in Nepal in 2019.

Last year, Indian Army chief, Gen M.M. Naravane visited Nepal to enhance the bilateral relationship. He met then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, as well as his counterpart, Gen Purna Chandra Thapa.

The ties between the two countries came under strain last year after China increased its influence in Nepal.

Before General Naravane, Research and Analysis Wing (RA&W) chief Samant Kumar Goel also made a visit to Kathmandu and met Nepal Prime Minister to strengthen the relationship.