Gen Moeen to get 6 horses as gift from counterpart
During his six-day visit to India from February 25, Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed will get a unique present--a set of six horses, two of them Hanoverian stallion and four mares--from his Indian counterpart Gen Deepak Kapoor at a spectacular ceremony.
The gift of the thoroughbreds by the Indian army is as per a request made by the Bangladesh army to enable its forces to train for an equestrian force, Lt Gen Narayan Mohanty, director general of the Indian army's Remount and Veterinary Corp told media persons on Thursday.
He said the thoroughbreds will be used by Bangladesh army to breed its own horses.
"Bangladesh army told us that they need breeding stock for promoting equestrian sports and we selected the six horses suited for this purpose. This is the first time that we are gifting our breeding stock to any country", Gen Mohanty said.
After the formal handing over ceremony, the horses worth nearly Rs 4 crore will be transported by army truck to Haridaspur-Benapole border.
India hopes the gift will provide a positive start to Gen Moeen's first-ever visit to India.
"The gift is an effort to cement ties between the two countries as well as a goodwill gesture between the two armies. It will go a long way in improving bilateral relations", said Gen Mohanty.
One of the two stallions, christened Valiant, belongs to a Russian-Anglo-Arab stock gifted to the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by the Soviet Union in 1960. Valiant and the other stallion Arzoo are estimated to be worth more than Rs 1 crore.
The stallions are seen in Olympics events and world equestrian championships. The mares are worth Rs 35-40 lakh each.
Gen Moeen will pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony. He will meet all the three Indian defence services chiefs.
The Bangladesh army chief, who will be accompanied by his wife, is also expected to visit Ajmer Sharif and the Taj Mahal.
A visit by Gen Moeen in August last year had to be called off at the last minute after Bangladesh was struck by severe floods.
The visit by the Bangladesh army chief will provide an opportunity to meet top Indian military brass and re-establish defence ties between the two countries.
Security-related issues are likely to come up for discussion Gen Moeen will have with Indian defence officials, official sources here said, adding the visit will be a confidence-building measure between the armies of the two countries.
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