General Naravane is visiting Nepal following an official invitation by Nepal Army Chief Gen Purnachandra Thapa. He will be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari. The Army Chief will pay homage at the martyrs' memorial at the Army Pavilion on November 5

New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane will kick-start his three-day visit to Nepal on Wednesday. The visit assumes great significance as it is an attempt to restore Indo-Nepal ties which suffered a setback due to a bitter border row.

General Naravane is visiting Nepal following an official invitation by Nepal Army Chief Gen Purnachandra Thapa. He will be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Commenting on Gen Naravane's visit, Indian Embassy spokesperson Naveen Kumar said, "It will deepen the long-standing and customary bonds of friendship between the two armies”.

“His visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to discuss the bilateral defence partnership and explore avenues to further strengthen it for mutual benefit,” Kumar said.

General Naravane will pay homage at the martyrs' memorial at the Army Pavilion on November 5. The Indian Army chief will then have a formal meeting with his Nepali counterpart.

On November 6, General Naravane will address the student officers at the Army Command and Staff College at Shivapuri. He is scheduled to meet Nepal Prime Minister and Defence Minister KP Sharma Oli before wrapping up his visit.

Ahead of his visit to Nepal, Gen Narvane said that the visit will strengthen 'bonds, friendships' between India, Nepal Armies.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, the Indian Army chief said, "I am delighted to be visiting Nepal on the kind invitation and to meet my counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa. I am sure that this visit will go a long way in strengthening the bonds and friendships that the two armies cherish.”

"I am also grateful for the opportunity to be calling on the Prime Minister of Nepal. It is going to be a great honour for me to be conferred with honouring rank of 'General of the Nepal Army' by the President of Nepal," he added.

The relations between India and Nepal deteriorated after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 8 inaugurated the 80-km long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand. Kathmandu raised strong objections to the road and escalated its decades-old border row with India to a new high. The landlocked country protested and released a new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. Lipulekh is a tri-junction between India, Nepal and China located atop the Kalapani Valley.

India had strongly objected to Nepal’s new map and called for cordial relations between the two neighbours. In an attempt o Singh allay Nepal's fears over the road, Singh had said it was only meant to facilitate the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.