New Delhi: Indonesian Navy Chief Admiral Muhammad Ali Monday held separate talks with his Indian counterpart Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan focusing on boosting bilateral maritime ties to ensure security and stability in key waterways.
The meetings came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto vowed to jointly work towards achieving safe and secure sea lanes in the region.
The resolve by the two countries to expand maritime security cooperation came against the backdrop of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea.
The Indian Navy said the meeting between Admiral Tripathi and Admiral Ali was focused on deepening maritime cooperation and strengthening ties between the “two close” maritime neighbours.
“Their discussions focused on vital areas across operations, training and capacity building,” it said.
Together, our navies are committed to enhancing maritime cooperation through increased interoperability, training, and robust information sharing to ensure security and stability in the shared maritime domain, the Navy said on ‘X’.
Indonesia is keen to procure BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India and there could be an announcement to this effect in the next few months.
Admiral Ali also visited BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd (BAPL) and exchanged ideas and insights on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the area of defence and strategy.
The talks between CDS Gen Chauhan and the Indonesian Navy chief focused on enhancing India-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership and fostering a secure Indo-Pacific region.
In the Modi-Subianto meeting, the two sides also agreed to position a liaison officer from Indonesia at India’s Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR).
The Indian Navy established the IFC-IOR in Gurugram in 2018 to keep track of shipping traffic as well as other critical developments in the region under a collaborative framework with like-minded countries.
In the Modi-Subianto meeting, the two sides pitched for a “full and effective” code of conduct in the South China Sea in accordance with the relevant international laws.
“President Prabowo welcomed India’s interest in enhancing cooperation on maritime security, including its engagement with regional mechanisms to ensure the safety and security of sea lanes of communication,” a joint statement on the talks between the two leaders said.
It said Modi and Subianto also acknowledged the significance of collaborative efforts to achieve safe and secure sea lanes in the region.
“In this regard, they agreed that there needs to be constant communication to discuss enhancement of maritime safety,” it said.
The two leaders also welcomed the ongoing discussions on the White Shipping Information Exchange (WSIE) agreement between the two sides.
PTI
