By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Jul 18 (IANS): Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning on a four-day visit to further strengthen the defence ties between the two nations.

General Manoj Pande is visiting Dhaka at the invitation of General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh.

This is the first foreign visit of General Manoj Pande after taking over as Indian Army Chief, as per a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

The visit of General Manoj Pande will further strengthen the close and fraternal ties existing between the armed forces of the two countries, it added.

The Indian Army Chief is accompanied by his spouse Archana Pande and a three-member delegation.

He is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Security Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, service chiefs of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, PSO Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh and meet other senior officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, it said.