NEW DELHI: In its attempts to strengthen its relationship with African countries, India has conducted maritime exercises with the Kenyan Navy. The exercise coincided with the official visit of Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, Indian Navy’s Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS).
In a statement, the Indian Navy said, “The crew of both Indian and Kenyan navies conducted drills in firefighting & damage control, boarding exercises and asymmetric threat simulations.” Indigenous INS Sunayna visited Mombasa, Kenya from June 20-23 towards boosting bilateral ties with maritime neighbours on the theme of Ocean Ring of Yoga, the Navy said.
The Commanding Officer called upon Brigadier Y S Abdi, Deputy Commander of Kenya Navy, and highlighted the significance of yoga towards bringing the world together. On the occasion of International Day of Yoga on June 21, a joint yoga session was conducted onboard with the participation of Indian Navy personnel and Kenyan defence forces.
The official visit of DCNS was from June 21-23 during which he oversaw the Harbour Phase activities of the ongoing Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) between the two countries’ navies. He called on Aden Bare Duale, cabinet secretary, Ministry of Defence, Kenya. The two discussed “avenues of strengthening bilateral defence relations.”
Vice Admiral Mahindru also called on General Francis O Ogolla, chief of defence forces. Key aspects of enhancing coordinated operations in the maritime domain and bolstering interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Kenya Navy were discussed.
A reception in honour of General Francis Ogolla, Chief of Defence Forces Kenyan Defence Forces was hosted onboard Sunayna by Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru. The event was attended by HE Ms Namgya Khampa, High Commissioner of India, Nairobi. During his address, the CDF conveyed his gratitude towards friendly gestures by the Indian Navy in training the Kenya Navy personnel and expressed his commitment towards continuous cooperation between both countries.