NEW DELHI: Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar has met Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamad Solih, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi in Male with a focus on further expanding bilateral defence cooperation.
Admiral Kumar is on a three-day visit to the Maldives from April 18 to 20. It is his first overseas trip after becoming the Chief of the Naval Staff in November last. In Male, he also held talks with Major General Abdulla Shamaal, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDF) of the Maldives, officials said.
Admiral Kumar hosted a reception onboard Indian Naval Ship Sutlej on Monday in honour of the Maldivian defence minister and the leadership of Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF), they said. INS Sutlej, is currently deployed to the Maldives for undertaking a joint hydrographic survey under the provisions of an agreement on hydrographic cooperation.
Admiral Kumar also unveiled the first navigation chart jointly produced by India and Maldives and handed over hydrography equipment to consolidate the organic capabilities of the MNDF, the officials said. He also presented a consignment of engineering equipment for further sustenance of MNDF ships, thereby reaffirming India's commitment to the capacity building efforts of the Maldivian defence forces.
India and Maldives share common perspectives on maritime security issues in the Indian Ocean and have been working together closely. "This visit further consolidates the strong and long-standing bilateral relations between two close maritime neighbours and also identified new avenues of expanding the scope of bilateral cooperation in defence and maritime domain," an Indian Navy official said.