Navy Chief begins four-day Bangladesh visit

Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh began a four-day-long visit to Bangladesh on Saturday with an aim to further consolidate maritime cooperation between the two countries. During the visit, Admiral Singh will hold extensive talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, besides meeting the other service chiefs and senior military officials, the Indian Navy said.

Sources said the two navy chiefs are expected to deliberate on regional security scenario including China's growing forays into the Indian Ocean region and its military assertiveness in the South China Sea. "The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance the bilateral maritime relations between India and Bangladesh," a Navy statement said.

Admiral Singh will visit several key military establishments including the Khulna Shipyard Limited, Bangladesh's naval bases in Chattogram and Khulna and address cadets at the Bangladesh Naval Academy (BNA). In addition, he will participate in the first anniversary celebration of Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development (BIMRAD), the Navy said.

The Bangladesh Navy is an active member of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a forum for maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region. There has been increasing cooperation between Indian and Bangladeshi navies and they regularly engage through staff talks, annual defence dialogue and other operational interactions.