President Ramchandra Paudel has conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on General Upendra Dwivedi, chief of the army staff (COAS) of India.

He was presented a sword and a scroll at a special ceremony organised at the Office of President Sheetal Niwas on Thursday. Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Defence Minister Manbir Rai, among other top officials attended the function, according to the Office of the President.

Nepal and India have given continuity to the tradition of conferring army chiefs of each other’s country with the honorary title for the past over seven decades.

General Dwivedi, who arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday on a five-day official visit, will hold other meetings, besides receiving the honorary rank.

The five-member delegation, led by him, also includes Sunita Dwivedi, chair of the Army Wives Welfare Association of the Indian Army.

According to the Ministry of Defence of India, Dwivedi is scheduled to address the student officers of Nepali Army Command and Staff Course, Shivapuri on Friday. During the day, General Dwivedi will call on Prime Minister Oli and Defence Minister Manbir Rai and engage in talks on issues of mutual interests, the ministry said in a press release issued on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Dwivedi will attend an ex-servicemen’s rally at Pokhara, wherein the COAS will felicitate Veer Naris and Gallantry Awardees and he will also interact with the Indian Army veterans. “The COAS will visit Western Division HQ, Nepali Army and will be briefed in presence of General Officer Commanding, Western Division, Nepali Army,” it said.

Ahead of his visit, Amrit Mohan Prasad, director general of India’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), visited Nepal to attend the eighth annual coordination meeting between SSB and Nepal’s Armed Police Force. During the two-day meeting that concluded on Monday, the two sides expressed concerns over the movement of third-country nationals through the Nepal-India border.