Indian army chief Naravane to be conferred honorary rank of 'General of the Nepal Army'

Amid strained ties between New Delhi and Kathmandu, Army chief General MM Naravane will travel Nepal in the first week of November in a bid to mend relations.

The Indian army chief's visit would be the first high-profile visit since the relations between the two Himalayan neighbours took a hit.

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"The Chief of Army Staff will travel to Nepal early next month. The dates of his visit are being finalised," said an official, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Officials also said during Naravane's visit, he would be conferred upon the honorary rank of 'General of the Nepal Army' by the Nepalese President, a traditional gesture that started first in 1950.

India also confers the honorary rank of 'General of Indian Army' to the chief of the Nepalese Army.

Naravane will also hold extensive talks with his Nepalese counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa and other senior military officials.

"Ways to further deepen defence cooperation between the two countries will be explored during the Chief of Army Staff's visit to Kathmandu," said a senior official.

The relations between both the neighbours first took a slide after Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula on May in Uttarakhand.

Nepal protested the move claiming that it passed via Nepalese territory.

Days later, Nepal approved a constitutional amendment to make new changes in its map with the inclusion of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.