COAS General Manoj Pande meets Australian Defence Forces chief, Army chief, discusses defence cooperation

Canberra [Australia], April 6 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande on Thursday received a Guard of Honour at the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) headquarters. He met Australia's Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell and Chief of the Australian Army Lt General Simon Stuart to discuss defence cooperation.

General Manoj Pande is on a four-day visit to Australia. Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) tweeted, "General Manoj Pande #COAS received a Guard of Honour at the HQ Australian Defence Forces #ADF. #COAS interacted with Lt Gen Simon Stuart, @ChiefAusArmy and discussed aspects of defence cooperation."

Sharing details regarding the meeting, General Simon Stuart in a tweet wrote, "It was my pleasure to host my Indian counterpart General Manoj Pande this week. As our first in-person meeting since assuming our roles, it was an opportunity to discuss deepening our Army engagement and our bilateral activities, including our recent success with Ex Austrahind."

In a tweet, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) wrote, "COAS Manoj Pande interacted with Major General Richard Vagg, Head Land Capability and Lt Gen Greg Bilton, Chief of Jt Ops. He also visited the Australian War Memorial and laid a wreath at the Last Post ceremony."

General Pande held talks with Australia's Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell, Vice Chief of the Australian Defence Force David Johnston and Air Marshal Robert Chipman and discussed ways to further enhance defence cooperation between the two nations.

Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) tweeted, "#COAS interacted with General Angus Campbell @CDF_Aust, VADM David Johnston @VCDF_Australia & Air Marshal Robert Chipman @CAF_Australia and discussed avenues to further enhance existing #DefenceCooperation between both the Armed Forces."

The Ministry of Defence in the press release said, "Australia-India defence cooperation has been on an upward trajectory with a series of diverse engagements at different levels, in various domains. These include bilateral visits by senior officers, reciprocal courses of instructions and training exercises, among others."

It further said, "The ever-expanding defence cooperation engagements encompassing a broad spectrum of activities have established a strong bonhomie between the two Armed Forces. The visit of the COAS to Australia will further strengthen the bonds of trust and understanding between the two armies." (ANI)