Officials say that on Thursday, Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar of the Indian Navy and Admiral Fahad Abdullah S. Al-Ghofaily, Chief of Staff, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, talked about ways to work together and improve relations between the two navies. After January 10, he will be in India for four days on business, the defense minister said in a statement.
“The visit is a testimony to the long-standing relationship between the navies of Saudi Arabia and India,” it stated.
Admiral Al-Ghofaily talked to Admiral Kumar and “held discussions on collaborative mechanisms and measures to further strengthen navy-to-navy cooperation,” the statement said.
At the South Block Lawns of the Raisina Hills complex, he was greeted by a Guard of Honor.
“The Indian Navy cooperates with Royal Saudi Naval Force through various initiatives, which include operational interactions such as bilateral naval exercise Al Mohed Al Hindi, training and other maritime avenues,” the ministry stated.
It was also said that Indian Navy ships have been making regular port calls at different places in Saudi Arabia.
“The Indian Navy has also been interacting with Royal Saudi Naval Force in various multilateral fora viz. IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium), MILAN, CMF (Combined Maritime Forces) and DCoC-JA (Djibouti Code of Conduct – Jeddah Amendment), where both navies have been supporting each other to supplement maritime security in the region,” the statement said.
Officials say that Admiral Al-Ghofaily will also meet with India’s Chief of Defence Staff, Defence Secretary, Chief of Air Staff, and Vice Chief of Army Staff during his visit.
Admiral would also go to the Southern Naval Command in Kochi and the Information Fusion Center – Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram during this trip.
“The extant visit by the Chief of Staff, Royal Saudi Naval Forces is aimed to increase naval cooperation between the two navies and has renewed the sense of commitment of two friendly maritime neighbours to address shared maritime challenges in the IOR,” it said.
