Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar pays 3-day visit to Maldives

In his first overseas tour after assuming the office of the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar paid a three-day visit to Maldives which concluded yesterday. During the visit, the Admiral called on Maldives President Mr Ibrahim Mohamad Solih and Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi.

Admiral Kumar hosted a reception on board Indian Naval Ship Sutlej in honour of the Defence Minister of Maldives and the leadership of Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF). INS Sutlej, is currently deployed to Maldives for undertaking joint hydrographic survey under the MoU on hydrographic cooperation. The CNS unveiled the



first Navigation Chart jointly produced by India and Maldives and handed over hydrography equipment to consolidate organic capabilities of the MNDF.

During the period of pandemic, both countries have worked very closely, under Mission SAGAR and Operation Samudra Setu, towards resource mobilisation and movement of personnel. India and Maldives share common perspectives on maritime security issues in the Indian Ocean and have been working together closely in several bilateral, mini-lateral and multilateral fora such as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Colombo Security Conclave.