Australian naval chief holds talks with armed forces chiefs
New Delhi, Aug. 20 (PTI): In a sign of growing confluence in maritime interests between the two nations, Australian Naval Chief Vice Admiral Eric Shalders today held wide ranging talks with Indian armed forces Chiefs.
Shalders, the first Australian Naval Chief to tour India in 20 years, held one-to-one talks with his Indian counterpart Admiral Sureesh Mehta after attending over 90-minute presentation in the Naval war room where two navies briefed each other about their security concerns and perspectives.
The Australian Naval Chief's visit here comes just days before the holding of the biggest ever Multi-nation Naval wargames in the Bay of Bengal in which frontline warships from India as well as Australia are taking part.
Over 25 Warships including American Nuclear carrier USS Nimitz, Nuclear Submarine USN Chicago, Royal Australian Navy Destroyer HMAS Adelaide and warships from Japan, Singapore and India are taking part in the four-day exercise from September 4 to 8.
Shalders also held discussions with the Army Chief Gen JJ Singh, Air Chief Fali Homi Major and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.
Though there was no official word on the content and nature of discussions the Australian Naval Chief had here, high level sources said the topics which came up included exploring more avenues of cooperation between the two navies for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region.
National
