IAF chief on 4-day visit to Thailand, Vietnam

New Delhi, Sep 6: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Sunday left for four-day visit to Thailand and Vietnam, which is expected to boost bilateral relations with the armed forces of the southeast Asian countries.

Raha, who is also chairman, chiefs of staff committee (COSC), will visit Thailand in the first leg of his visit, where he will interact with the chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, the commander-in-chief of Royal Thai Air Force and call on the Deputy Defence Minister, Gen. Udomdej Sitabutr.

In the second leg of his visit, Raha will visit Vietnam and hold discussions with the chief of general staff (CGS) of the army as well as his Vietnamese counterpart and call on the defence minister.

Raha is scheduled to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues about defence cooperation during his visits.

"Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha's visit to Thailand and Vietnam will further boost bilateral relations between the armed forces of the two countries and is likely to provide greater convergence at the operational level," the release said.

IANS