Maharashtra: 10th edition of Indo-Maldives Joint Military Exercise concludes in Pune

The 10th edition of the India-Maldives joint military exercise 'Ekuverin 2019' concluded at the Aundh Military Station in Pune here on Sunday.

The 14-day exercise had kicked off on October 7 here.

"Defence cooperation between the two countries has always been very good and history proves it. Indian armed forces have been there whenever we requested or were in need," said Maldives Brigadier General Waise Waheed addressing the gathering at the event.

He also talked about "hybrid threats" like violent extremist, terrorism or cybercriminals and highlighted the need for increased cooperation between countries.

"The training was very helpful. We shared tactics, learned a lot from each other and will incorporate it in our future practices to refine them," Major Mukesh Singh told ANI.

During the exercise, counter-terrorism drills in an international environment were practised and rehearsed by the Indian and Maldivian Army contingents. The primary focus of the joint exercise was subunit level drills, procedures and ability to operate jointly with seamless interoperability.

"The tactics of Indian soldiers are very different from us. It was very interesting, we learned how to operate with troops of other nations. These exercises are very important as we share tactics and refine our practices," a Maldives Captain Hussain Shareef said.

The Maldivian contingent was represented by Marine troops of Maldivian National Defence Force, while the Indian side was represented by a battalion of the MAHAR regiment.

The previous exercise was held in 2018 at Northern Area Headquarters, Lh Maafilaafushi of Maldives. The Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces have been conducting this exercise since the year 2009.