Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army by President Ramchandra Paudel on Monday, continuing a decades-old military tradition between India and Nepal.
The honour was bestowed on General Seth during an investiture ceremony at Sheetal Niwas as part of his four-day official visit to Nepal. He arrived in the country on Sunday at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart, General Ashok Raj Sigdel.
The honour is part of a tradition dating back to 1950, under which India and Nepal confer the honorary rank of General on each other's serving Army chiefs, and reflects the longstanding military relationship between the two countries and their armies.
Nepal Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and senior officials of the Nepal Army and the Nepal government attended the ceremony, according to a press release from President Paudel's Secretariat.
General Seth also met General Sigdel at the Nepal Army headquarters. The two Army chiefs discussed matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen bilateral military relations.
According to the Indian Embassy, General Seth's visit reaffirms the "unique and time-tested defence relations" between India and Nepal, which are founded on shared values, mutual trust and enduring army-to-army ties.
The Indian Army chief also met Ambassador Srivastava at the Indian Embassy, where they discussed ways to further strengthen relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu.
As part of his visit, General Seth handed over military and medical equipment to the Nepal Army. He also planted a sapling on the premises of the Nepal Army Headquarters and received and inspected a guard of honour.
The Nepal Army said General Seth's visit was expected to "further strengthen the mutual trust and cooperation between the armies of Nepal and India."
