New Delhi: Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar met Brazilian Army Chief of Staff, Gen Fernando Jose' Sant'ana Soares e Silva and discussed defence cooperation and shared interests between the two countries on Monday.

The meeting comes as the Brazilian General is in India to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) to be held here in National Capital from September 25-27 this year.

Taking to X, Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD of Indian Army said, “Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar #VCOAS interacted with Gen Fernando Jose' Sant'ana Soares e Silva, Chief of Staff, #BrazilianArmy and discussed aspects of #DefenceCooperation and mutual interest. Chief of Staff, #BrazilianArmy is in India to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference #IPACC 2023.”

The armies of India and the United States will host the 13th biannual Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC), the 47th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum at the Manekshaw Centre in the national capital from September 25-27.

The gathering is notably the largest conference for land forces (army, marines, etc.) in the region.

The objective for these meetings is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. Senior land commanders will have a venue to share opinions and ideas as well as grow and deepen their connections through this, the official release of the US embassy said.

This year's conference's theme is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.”

There will be both larger plenary sessions and more intimate break-out sessions at the conference. Participants will take part in vibrant conversations on subjects including peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid/disaster relief, leadership development, and women's emancipation as well as hear from eminent guest speakers.

Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017.

IPACC is now held every two years and is co-hosted by the United States Army and the hosting country. IPAMS is the longest running land forces conference held every year. In 2014, the SELF was added allowing senior enlisted members to experience the same fellowship, discussion and sharing opportunities, but from a different perspective, the US Embassy release read.

An opening ceremony will kickstart at 9:30am on September 26 at the Manekshaw Centre, preceded by a joint press conference at 9 am with the Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande, and General Randy George, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff.