Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 10 MAR: Chief of Australian Army Lt Gen Richard Maxwell Burr is on a four-day visit to India, which began on Tuesday. Burr met his Indian counterpart Gen MM Naravane, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Wednesday, along with other senior military officers.
The Army said in a statement on Wednesday that Burr and Naravane “exchanged views on the current global situation and the situation in Indo-Pacific in addition to discussing measures for enhancing defence cooperation between both armies.”
He also met Vice Army Chief Lt Gen Manoj Pande and discussed “regional security perspectives”. Over the next two days, Burr will visit Indian Army formations and units deployed along western borders, the Army said.
Today, the Australian Army Chief visited Laungewala, Pokharan and Jodhpur in Rajasthan. On arrival at Laungewala, the Australian COAS was received by Lt Gen Rakesh Kapoor, GOC, Desert Corps after which he paid homage at the Laungewala War Memorial in memory of the fallen heroes of Indian Army in the Indo-Pak war 1971.
He appreciated the efforts of Indian Army in creating and maintaining the ‘War Memorials’ and establishing a bridge for common man’s outreach to witness the values and valour of the Indian Soldier.
Mr Burr also visited the Pokharan Field Firing Ranges where he witnessed a demonstration of indigenised weapons platforms executing operational manoeuvres in a combined arms firing exercise involving Armour, Artillery, Infantry and Aviation assets. The visiting General complimented the robustness of the Indian soldier and his ability to operate in varied terrain and difficult conditions, across various spectrums of engagement.
The visit comes in the backdrop of China’s soured relations with both Australia and India, which are two of the four members of the Quad, the other two being the United States and Japan.
China views the Quad as an attempt by the US to “disrupt” regional peace and stability. China’s Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing on Monday that America’s “Indo-Pacific strategy is becoming a by-word for bloc politics.”
He said that the US “professes a desire to advance regional cooperation, but in reality it is stoking geopolitical rivalry,” is “forming exclusive clubs” and is “setting and imposing rules that suit itself and its acolytes.”
Tags: #AustralianArmyChief #Pokharan #Laungewala #Quad #China #India
