Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba will embark on a five-day visit to the United Arab Emirates and Oman tomorrow with an aim to consolidate naval ties with the two key Gulf nations and to explore new avenues for cooperation.
Admiral Lanba's first destination will be the UAE where he will hold talks with Minister of State for Defence Mohammed bin Ahmad Al Bowardi, Chief of Staff, UAE Armed Forces Lt General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, and Commander of UAE Naval Forces Rear Admiral Ibrahim Salim Mohammed Al Musharrakh.
In UAE, he will visit the Ghantoot Naval Base as well as National Defence College where he will interact with the student officers. He will also tour the training facilities at the Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Naval College.
"The visit aims to consolidate bilateral naval relations with UAE and Oman, as also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation," the Defence Ministry said.
On the second leg of his trip, he will visit Oman from March 1-2 where he will hold bilateral talks Bader Bin Saud Bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs of Oman, as also with the three service chiefs.
The Admiral will visit the Sultan Qaboos Naval Academy, and the Said Bin Naval Base where he will also visit the Fleet Maintenance Facility and the latest Khareef Class corvette, RNOV Al Shamikh.
The Indian Navy cooperates with both the navies of UAE and Oman on many fronts, which include training and operational interactions.
It cooperates with UAE's navy through Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) and through the Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) with Oman, the ministry said.
In addition, the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have been conducting the bilateral Maritime Exercise 'Naseem Al Bahr' since 1993. 10 editions have been held so far, the last being held off Goa on January 16.
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