Indian Army Chief in Uzbekistan as Indo-Uzbek joint military exercise gets underway
The joint Indo-Uzbek military exercises began in 2019
By IAR Desk
The Indian Army Chief is visiting Uzbekistan as India-Uzbekistan military exercises begin.
In a statement the Indian Defense Ministry said that Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pandey will be visiting Uzbekistan from April 15 to 18, in order to boost defense partnership between the two countries.
The visit of the Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pandey comes as the India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise “Dustlik” begins. The Uzbek army is conducting joint “Dustlik – Friendship” exercises with Indian colleagues in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan, bordering Afghanistan, the press service of the Uzbek Defense Ministry reported
“The joint military exercise “Dustlik” (Friendship) between units of the Defense Ministry of Uzbekistan and India have begun at the Termez military training ground,” the Defense Ministry stated.
The Termez test site is located in the Surkhandarya region in the south of Uzbekistan.
“The main goal of the exercises is to increase coordination and cohesion between military units of the two countries in the joint fight against terrorism and other operations,” the press service said.
These joint exercise for the armies of India and Uzbekistan is the fifth in recent years. It was first held in November 2019 at a training ground in the Tashkent region. And the exercise was also conducted in the mountains of Uttarakhand in March 2023 .
India views Uzbekistan as part of its extended neighborhood. Both countries share cordial relations which are fast deepening, encompassing an entire range of sectors.
