India and Malaysia on Wednesday reviewed their bilateral Defence ties and vowed to uphold the principle of collective responsibility for maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
This was reaffirmed during talks between Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and his visiting Malaysian counterpart Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Bin Mohd Sany in the backdrop of growing Chinese presence in the strategically important region.
In their wide-ranging parleys, Admiral Kumar and Admiral Reza also identified several new areas to further strengthen bilateral naval cooperation between the two sides. The Malaysian Navy chief is on a four-day visit to India.
The Navy said Admiral Kumar apprised the Malaysian Navy chief of a broad range of foreign cooperation activities pursued by the Indian Navy.
The two chiefs 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, the Navy said in a statement.
Admiral Reza will also be interacting with high ranking officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
He is an alumnus of the Indian Navy's Dronacharya Gunnery Training Establishment at Kochi, from where he graduated as a Gunnery Specialist back in 1990. He is also scheduled to visit his alma mater.
Elaborating upon ties between the two navies, officials said bilateral cooperation between the Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy spans across a wide canvas ranging from training to operations. Both navies carried out the bilateral exercise Samudra Laksamana in May.
The official visit of the Chief of Royal Malaysian Navy signifies yet another expression of growing collaboration between the two navies and commitment to sustaining the positive trajectory of bilateral relations, the Navy said. The Malaysian chief was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the South Block lawns.