Indian Navy chief on 5-day visit to Bangladesh

Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi began a five-day visit to Bangladesh with an aim to further consolidate the bilateral defence engagement and explore new avenues of cooperation in the maritime domain.

It is Admiral Tripathi's first official visit abroad after he took charge as Navy chief two months ago.

The visit comes more than a week after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India during which both sides vowed to expand the overall defence and strategic ties.

The Navy chief is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and other top officials of Bangladesh's military, including the Army chief and Air Force chief.

Admiral Tripathi will also review the passing-out parade at the Bangladesh Naval Academy (BNA) in Chittagong on July 4.

The Chief of Naval Staff's engagements in the neighbouring country include an address at Bangladesh's National Defence College in Dhaka and visits to a few key defence facilities.

"The visit is aimed to consolidate bilateral defence relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span including operational interactions, bilateral naval exercises and capacity-building programmes.

"The visit of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy will further strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between the navies of both countries," the statement said.

Bangladesh has been an important partner under India's Neighbourhood First policy.