New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy on Wednesday held discussions focused on strengthening bilateral engagements, enhancing maritime cooperation and collaborative pursuit towards maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The discussions were held during the 11th edition of Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy Staff Talks that concluded in New Delhi on Wednesday.

“11th Edition of Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy Staff Talks were successfully concluded on 01 Jul 26 at New Delhi, India,” the spokesperson for Indian Navy posted on X.

“Co-chaired by RAdm Srinivas Maddula, ACNS (FCI) and RAdm Dato’ Pahlawan Mohd Fadzli Kamal bin Mohd Mohaldin, Assistant Chief of Staff (Ops & Trg), Royal Malaysian Navy, the talks focused on strengthening bilateral engagements, enhancing maritime cooperation and collaborative pursuit towards Maritime Security in the IOR,” it added.

In May, Indian Navy’s oceanographic research vessel, INS Sagardhwani, visited Malaysia’s Port Klang and held a successful engagement with the Royal Malaysian Navy.

“The port call enabled productive interactions between the two sides through a series of professional and scientific interactions,” the Indian Navy stated.

Personnel of the Royal Malaysian Navy warmly welcomed the ship on its arrival on May 13.

During the Indian vessel’s port call, personnel from both sides shared insights on modern hydrographic practices, marine environmental research, and emerging advancements in oceanographic technologies.

A delegation from the Hydrographic Department of the Royal Malaysian Navy also visited the ship and got familiarised with onboard oceanographic systems as part of the programme.

“A Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) between the specialist officers also focused on data-centric maintenance approaches, trend assessment methods, navigation safety tools, and technology-enabled decision-support mechanisms,” Indian Navy stated.

The Commanding Officer of INS Sagardhwani called on the High Commissioner of India to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur during the stay with discussions centred on the ship’s ongoing oceanographic mission and deeper scientific cooperation.

In a statement, the Indian Navy stated, “The deployment highlights the deepening maritime relationship between India and Malaysia while reaffirming shared commitment of both Navies towards regional engagement, knowledge sharing, and closer professional ties.”

The defence ties between India and Malaysia have steadily grown over the years. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation signed in 1993 is the cornerstone of defence relations between the two countries which allows for widening the scope of existing bilateral cooperation to include joint ventures, joint development projects, procurement, logistic and maintenance support and training. India and Malaysia agreed to amend the MoU signed in 1993 during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Malaysia in 2023.

–IANS

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