India, Saudi Arabia discuss maritime cooperation as naval chiefs meet

New Delhi, January 11

The Navy Chiefs of India and Saudi Arabia today held discussions on collaborative mechanisms and measures to further strengthen cooperation.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar met his counterpart Admiral Fahad Abdullah S Al-Ghofaily in New Delhi. The Saudi navy chief is on a four-day official visit to India from January 10 to 13.

“The visit of the Chief of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces is aimed at increasing naval cooperation between the two navies. It has renewed the sense of commitment between the two friendly maritime neighbours to address shared challenges in the Indian Ocean Region,” a statement of the Ministry of Defence said.

The Navy cooperates with the Saudi Naval Force through various initiatives, which include operational interactions such as bilateral naval exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi, training and other maritime avenues. Indian Navy ships have been regularly undertaking port calls around Saudi Arabia.