Army chief's visits to UAE, Sri Lanka significantly advanced defence ties with both nations

New Delhi: Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi's visit to the UAE and Sri Lanka this month has "significantly advanced" defence and military-to-military cooperation with both countries through enhanced strategic dialogues and tangible capacity-building initiatives, officials said on Friday.

General Dwivedi visited the Gulf nation from January 5-6 and Sri Lanka from January 7-8.

The visits reinforced India's commitment to deepening defence cooperation, enhancing military-to-military engagement and strengthening strategic partnerships with the friendly nations in West Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The Army chief's two-nation tour also “bolstered mutual trust, strengthened interoperability and underscored India’s role as a reliable and trusted defence partner”, it said.

The successful engagements reaffirmed India's commitment to fostering peace, stability and cooperative security in the Indian Ocean Region and West Asia, while deepening long-standing defence partnerships with the friendly nations, the officials said.

During his visit to the UAE, Gen Dwivedi held wide-ranging discussions with the senior leadership of the UAE Armed Forces, including the commander of the UAE Land Forces, focusing on strengthening defence cooperation, enhancing interoperability and expanding avenues for joint training and professional military exchanges.

The Army chief's trip to the UAE took place weeks after the Gulf nation’s Commander of the Presidential Guard, Major General Ali Saif Humaid Alkaabi, visited India.

Gen Dwivedi's visit also followed fast-paced developments in the Gulf region, including escalating tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the situation in Yemen.

“General Upendra Dwivedi, as part of his ongoing visit to the UAE, interacted with Major General Staff Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander, UAE Land Forces.

The discussions focused on enhancing positive military engagement, training convergence and advancing bilateral defence cooperation between India and the UAE,” the Army posted on X on January 5.

During his visit, the general received detailed briefings on the organisational structure, roles and operational capabilities of the UAE Land Forces and visited key military establishments, where he interacted with officers and troops.

“These engagements provided an opportunity to exchange best practices and explore collaboration in areas of mutual interest,” a senior official said.

Gen Dwivedi also addressed officers at the UAE National Defence College, underscoring the importance of strategic dialogue, leadership development and shared perspectives on regional and global security challenges.

The visit also included an interaction with the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal, during which issues of defence diplomacy and cooperation were discussed, the officials said.

On the Sri Lanka leg of his two-nation visit, Gen Dwivedi held substantive discussions with the senior military and civil leadership, including the commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the deputy minister of defence and the defence secretary, focusing on training cooperation, capacity building, defence education and regional security dynamics, the defence ministry said.

Reflecting India's enduring commitment to defence capacity building, Gen Dwivedi also addressed officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) and interacted with officers and trainees at the Army War College, Buttala, it said.

During his visit to the Army War College, he laid the foundation for a sports complex and formally handed over a set of ambulance vans.

He later handed over 20 vehicles and simulators to the Sri Lanka Army, further strengthening operational capability and training infrastructure, the statement said.

The Army chief also paid homage at the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers and reaffirming the shared history and deep people-to-people bonds between India and Sri Lanka, it said.

He also interacted with the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, the statement said.