New Delhi: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, Admiral Adoong Pan-Iam interacted with Indian Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar here on Monday over issues of mutual cooperation in the maritime domain, training exchange programmes and information sharing.
The Thai Navy chief is on an official visit to India from April 1-3, during which he is also scheduled to call on Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Defence Secretary, and the National Maritime Security Co-ordinator.
“To further deepen defence cooperation between both countries, Adm Adoong Pan-Iam is scheduled to meet officials of the Indian Defence Industries and the Department of Defence Production at New Delhi. Following this, an interactive session with Indian Navy Officials from the Warship Design Bureau is also planned to explore current trends in ship building and identify future opportunities, including scope of ship maintenance and repairs in India,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The Navy said that the visit of the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy to India is a testimony of strong bilateral relations and lasting friendship between both navies.
Earlier in the day, Adm Adoong Pan-Iam laid a ceremonial wreath at the National War Memorial and was thereafter welcomed with the customary Guard of Honour presented by the Indian Navy at the South Block.
Both navies have been conducting regular Coordinated Patrols on biannual basis since 2005, and the maiden IN-RTN Bilateral Exercise, viz, Ex- Ayutthaya was held in December last year. More recently, the Royal Thai Navy Ship HTMS Prachup Kheri Khan participated in MILAN 24 held in February 2024 in Visakhapatnam, the ministry said, adding that both navies are also active member of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
–IANS