Chief of Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel will leave for the United Kingdom on Monday for a seven-day official visit at the invitation of his British counterpart, Nepali Army spokesperson Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said.

The visit will be Sigdel’s first to the UK since he assumed office as chief of army staff on September 9, 2024.

Sigdel is expected to hold meetings with senior British military officials, including his British counterpart, Roly Walker. Sigdel will return home on October 11.

The UK visit comes less than two weeks after Sigdel returned from China, where he was on an official visit from September 13 to 19.

During his China visit, Sigdel held a courtesy meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun and senior military officials. He also visited China’s National Defence University, where he was briefed on its activities and academic programmes, and attended the opening session of the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.