Indian, Malaysian Navy Chiefs discuss maritime security

Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, would be hosting him…reports Asian Lite News

The Navy Chiefs of India and Malaysia have expressed their commitment to the idea of collective responsibility for maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and visiting Malaysian Navy Chief Admiral Tan Mohd Reza Bin Mohd Sany discussed the progress of ongoing bilateral engagements in the maritime domain during a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.

“The leaders identified several new avenues for further strengthening bilateral naval cooperation and also expressed commitment to their support to uphold the principle of collective responsibility for maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region,” said the Ministry of Defence. Admiral Mohd Reza was also briefed on the broad range of Foreign Cooperation activities pursued by the Indian Navy.

The Malayalam Navy Chief would also be interacting with other high ranking officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS). He will also avail the opportunity to interact with a broad range of Indian Defence Industry reps facilitated by iDEX.

The official visit started off with a sombre wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial, where the Chief of the Malaysian Navy honoured the Indian heroes. He was also accorded a Guard of Honour at South Block.

Admiral Mohd Reza, a proud alumnus of INS Dronacharya, will visit his alma mater while in Kochi for the second leg of his tour. Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, would be hosting him.

The Ministry of Defence pointed out that bilateral cooperation between the Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy spans a wide canvass ranging from training to operations. The two Navies carried out the bilateral exercise Samudra Laksamana in May; the Navy to Navy Staff Talks were held in June. RMN Ship KD Lekiu and a high level delegation had earlier participated in MILAN hosted by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam in February.

“Official visit of the Chief of Navy, RMN signifies yet another expression of growing collaboration between the two Navies and commitment to sustaining the positive trajectory of bilateral relations,” the ministry said.

ALSO READ-India, China to join Russian war games