New Delhi : French Navy chief Admiral Bernard Rogel Thursday began a six-day official visit to India to discuss existing navy cooperation as well as to explore new avenues of cooperation between the Indian and French navies.
The French Admiral was received at South Block Friday afternoon by Indian Navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan and was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour.
“During the day, the visiting dignitary met senior naval officers as well as various senior defence ministry officials and other government officials in the capital,” a defence ministry release said.
Rogel is scheduled to visit Goa where he will address the naval participants at the Naval War College Goa. “The dignitary will then arrive in Mumbai and is scheduled to visit naval facilities as well as Mazagon Dock Ltd.”
“Indian-French Navy cooperation covers a wide spectrum of maritime activities and includes navy-to-navy staff talks, bilateral exercise Varuna as well as regular delegation-level interactions. Warships of both Navies make regular port calls to each other’s ports. The training interaction includes courses in high technology as well as at staff levels,” the release said.
French Navy has been an active supporter of the Indian Navy initiated ‘IONS’ which is aimed at collaboration among IOR littorals towards enhancement of maritime security and good order at sea.
Naval cooperation has progressed most encouragingly in recent years and the increasing scale of operational interaction is indicative of the growing understanding between both navies, the release said.