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Turkish Army Chief pays maiden visit to India |
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Global terrorism and UN peacekeeping missions featured prominently during talks in New Delhi on March 31 between the Indian Army Chief, Gen. Deepak Kapoor, and his visiting Turkish counterpart Gen. Mehmet Ilker Basbug.
“Both the Chiefs shared a common platform on matters such as global terrorism and UN peacekeeping missions,” a Defence Minis¬try statement said.
“Both countries have pledged to improve military bilateral relations in terms of training at defence institutions,” the statement added. This was the first time a Turkish Army Chief visited India.
Earlier on March 31, Basbug laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial to the Unknown Soldier at India Gate. He was then accorded a guard of honour on his arrival at the Defence Ministry headquarters at South Block.
After his talks with Kapoor, Basbug met Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju, the Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and the Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major.
The visiting Army Chief also visited the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the National Defence College.
India’s interaction with Turkey in the defence sector was revived in March 1986 when the then Turkish prime Minister visit¬ed India. The following year, the defence attache’s office was re-opened in Ankara after a gap of 20 years.
Subsequently, India participated in IDEA, a defence exhibi¬tion at Ankara in May 1989. The Indian Minister of state for defence visited Turkey in September 1993 at the invitation of the Turkish Defence Minister to attend the International Defence Industry and Civil Aviation Fair, “which was a big step towards establishing close relations in the defence field between the two countries”, the statement said.
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