Navy chief Admiral Dhowan leaves on six-day visit to Australia

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R K Dhowan on Friday left for Australia on a six-day visit to consolidate existing maritime cooperation initiatives, as well as explore new avenues.

Admiral Dhowan's Australia's visit has been programmed to coincide with the prestigious annual Sea Power Conference organised by the Australia Navy which provides opportunities to engage with heads of over 40 navies.

India-Australia have several commonalities, which serve as the foundation for closer cooperation and multifaceted interactions. The defence cooperation between the two countries is robust and primarily focused towards maritime cooperation.

During the visit, Admiral Dhowan is scheduled to hold discussions with the chief of the Royal Australian Navy, vice-chief of defence staff, defence secretary and other senior naval officers.

India and Australia share similar maritime challenges such as long coastline, extensive Exclusive Economic Zones, coastal security, large coastal shipping and fishing fleet, wherein both navies have opportunities to learn from each other's experiences.

In addition, common grounds exist for cooperation in ship-building, especially under the 'Make in India' initiative.