The Maldives on Monday congratulated General Bipin Rawat on his appointment as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India.
"Heartiest congratulations to Gen Bipin Rawat on being appointed as the first Chief of the Defence Staff of India. It was a great honour receiving Gen Rawat in Male' a few months back. #MaldivesIndiaDefencePartnership is on a very strong footing," Maldives's Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said in a tweet.
In September, General Rawat had visited Male to further deepen bilateral military cooperation between the two neighbours.
"Maldives is the second country to wish India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on his appointment," he added.
This is the first time that this position has been created by the central government and appointed General Rawat as the topmost defence officer of the country to be the main point of contact for the government for dealing with defence forces' issues.
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General Rawat is completing his full three-year term as the Chief of Army Staff on December 31. He will now continue to serve till March 2022 as the CDS where his main role would be to create synergy in operations and finances of the three services.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in his Independence Day speech on August 15 this year.
The recommendation for CDS had first been made after the Kargil War. It was argued that this post will create better coordination between the three services -- the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval played a crucial role along with Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar to finalise the roles and responsibilities of the new office of the Chief of Defence Staff.
Prior to the Maldives, US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster also greeted Gen Rawat for taking over the new office.
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