Indian vice chief of army on three-day visit to Malaysia

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Indian Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General B.S. Raju will embark on a three-day visit to Malaysia from Thursday (Dec 8). His visit will take forward the excellent defence cooperation between India and Malaysia, India's Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The Indian commander is scheduled to call on the Deputy Chief of Malaysian Army and Chief of Staff of Malaysian Armed Forces. He will also engage in discussions with the chief executive of the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies ((MiDAS). Raju will witness the ongoing Malaysia-India army exercises "Harimau Shakti" on Friday. The two-week joint exercises began on Nov 28 in Pulai, Johor. Raju's visit will "act as a catalyst for closer coordination and cooperation between the two countries on a host of strategic issues", the statement said. -- BERNAMA