Canadian Defence Minister visits Western Naval Command

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan on Saturday visited the Western Naval Command here as part of his ongoing tour of India.

He interacted with its commander, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra and others and was given a conducted tour of the Indian Navy's indigenous guided missile destroyer INS Kochi.

Appreciating the strides being made by India in her indigenisation efforts, Sajjan highlighted areas of congruence between India and Canada, the need for further cooperation, enhancing maritime and naval links and the visit of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Winnipeg here next month.

The discussions also explored continuing the current levels of military interactions and the possibilities of increased cooperation against the backdrop of the current regional and global security environment which offer opportunities to the two countries to collaborate.

Sajjan's visit is a follow-up of the joint statement of April 2015 during the visit to Canada by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two countries are poised to enhance defence cooperation in the the fields of counter-terrorism, cold climate warfare, peace-keeping and naval cooperation.

HMCS Winnipeg is expected to visit India mid-May to carry out professional interaction and passage exercise with Indian Navy ships.

Sajjan, 46, was born in Bombeli village in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district and had migrated to Canada in 1976 with his family. He is the first Sikh to serve as the Defence Minister of any other nation.

--IANS

qn/vd