Nepal, India to hold joint military training exercise

India and Nepal will hold the 16th edition of the joint military training exercise Surya Kiran from Friday to cement the friendship between the two armies.A team from the Indian Army arrived in Nepal on Wednesday to participate in the military exercise to take place at Saljhandi in Rupandehi near the Nepal-India border.Indian Army troops arrived today in Saljhandi, Nepal for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex SURYAKIRAN.

India and Nepal will hold the 16th edition of the joint military training exercise 'Surya Kiran' from Friday to cement the friendship between the two armies.

A team from the Indian Army arrived in Nepal on Wednesday to participate in the military exercise to take place at Saljhandi in Rupandehi near the Nepal-India border.

''Indian Army troops arrived today in Saljhandi, Nepal for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex #SURYAKIRAN. The exercises are a paragon for the exchange of professional experience & cementing the friendship between two armies,'' the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu tweeted on Wednesday.

The 15th edition of the joint exercise was held in Pithoragarh, India, in which 650 soldiers from both sides participated. The Nepal Army had sent its team for the participation.

The Surya Kiran exercise is conducted annually in Nepal and India. The 16th Surya Kiran exercise will be conducted for two weeks, Nepal Army spokesperson Narayan Silwal said.

''This is an experience-sharing event, which helps to strengthen mutual relationship. During such exercise, the armies of both the countries will get opportunity to share experience and skill, which helps to enhance professionalism," Silwal said.

Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande visited Nepal in September.

During the visit, General Pande was conferred with the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Apart from meeting his counterpart General Prabhu Ram Sharma, the Chief of Army Staff of the Nepali Army, General Pande also called on Nepali Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and the leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.

The country shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)