Visakhapatnam, Feb 19 (IANS) The Indian Navy held a series of high-level bilateral interactions with naval leaders from several partner nations on the sidelines of the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 in Visakhapatnam, reinforcing India’s growing maritime cooperation across regions.

Indian Navy chief, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, held talks with South African Navy chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, with their dialogue reflecting the strong trajectory of bilateral naval cooperation, including Exercise IBSAMAR, reciprocal port calls, operational sea training, and enhanced information sharing for Maritime Domain Awareness. The presence of SAS Amatola underscored South Africa’s active participation in IFR 2026.

The CNS also interacted with Iranian Navy commander, Admiral Shahram Irani, with both sides discussing expanding operational cooperation through port visits and training exchanges, while reaffirming engagement under the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), including collaboration through working groups and the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX).

Western Naval Command’s Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, met Seychelles Defence Forces chief Major General Michael Rosette, and their discussions highlighted sustained operational engagement, including regular port calls by Indian Navy ships, Seychelles’ participation through PS Zoroaster, and cooperation in training and hydrographic domains, as well as continued collaboration under the SAGAR initiative.

Vice Admiral Swaminathan also met the Kenya Navy commander, Major General Paul Owuor Otieno, with their discussions focusing on strengthening operational interactions, training cooperation, and information sharing. Discussions also noted the positioning of a Kenya Navy liaison officer at the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR).

Additionally, the Western Naval Command chief met the Royal Bahamas Defence Force commander, Commodore Floyd P. Moxey, to discuss capacity building and training support.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, interacted with European Union Naval Force’s (EUNAVFOR) Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, exploring avenues for enhanced cooperation following the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed in January 2026.

The interactions collectively underscored India’s commitment to strengthening maritime partnerships and promoting security, stability, and cooperation across the Indian Ocean and beyond.

The International Fleet Review 2026 (IFR 2026) is an international maritime exercise hosted and conducted by the Indian Navy on behalf of the President in February 2026 to improve relations with other navies in the region.

The IFR 2026, along with MILAN, is the largest maritime assembly hosted by India since Independence.

–IANS

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