Army Chief Naravane leaves for Saudi Arabia and UAE, this is the first visit of an army chief of India

Army Chief General MM Naravane left for Saudi Arabia and UAE on Tuesday. This is the first visit by an army chief of India to these two countries. According to the Indian Army, General Naravane would arrive at the UAE first. He will stay there till December 12. He will visit Saudi Arabia on 13 and 14 December. During this tour, he will meet senior officials of the military of the two Gulf countries. They will be discussed on strengthening defense relations with India.

General Naravane will visit the Royal Saudi Land Force and Joint Force headquarters of Saudi Arabia. He will visit the King Abdul Aziz Military Academy. The Chief of Army Staff will also meet the students and faculty of the National Defense University of Saudi Arabia.

This visit of the army chief is considered important

Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE are growing. The two countries did not support Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and neither convened a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. When Saudi asked to return the loan despite Pakistan’s poor financial condition, the UAE banned the issuance of new visas to Pakistani nationals. Army Chief Bajwa made several visits to improve Saudi-Pakistan’s relations, but to no avail. In such a situation, the visit of the Indian Army Chief is considered to be important for strengthening the relationship of both countries with India.

Saudi Arabia wants to come together to build defense equipment

Relations between India and Saudi Arabia have improved over the years. Saudi Arabia has also shown interest in building defense equipment with India. The army chief can also talk to the officers there on this issue. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner after China, the US and Japan. It is also important to supply fuel in India. Saudi Arabia exports around 18% of crude oil to India.