<p>
<strong>The significance of interconnectedness of national and regional security in the Indian Ocean region &ndash; home to over two billion people and the major sea routes of the world – was underscored once again when Maldives&#39; Mariya Ahmed Didi became the first foreign Defence Minister to review the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala on Saturday.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
As she congratulated the 231 midshipmen and cadets who successfully completed the rigorous programme at Asia&#39;s largest Naval Academy in Kerala&#39;s Kannur district, Didi stressed that the graduates&#39; actions and decisions will directly influence not only India&#39;s security, but the wider region as well.<br />
<br />
&quot;Every patrol you sail on, every sortie you fly, every incident you attend contributes positively to the security of India, the neighbourhood and the wider Indian Ocean. I want you all to remember this at all times,&quot; said the Minister.<br />
<br />
With some fundamental strategic paradigm shifts taking place in the region, Male has acknowledged significant progress being made in defence cooperation partnership with Delhi in the last three years.<br />
<br />
&quot;The defence cooperation partnership between Maldives and India is one that is based on equality, mutual trust and benefit and a deep desire to ensure the safety and security of both the nations, and by extension, the greater Indian Ocean Region,&quot; Didi said today.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hHaSNsQ9Tr0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
The minister highlighted India&#39;s continued contribution to the professionalization and operational capacity-building process of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF)&#39;s Coast Guard through training opportunities, saying that several INA-trained MNDF officers are holding high ranks in various capacities.<br />
<br />
<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/defence-minister-of-maldives-arrives-to-review-naval-parade-add-depth-to-military-ties-with-india-130313.html">Defence Minister of Maldives arrives to review naval parade, add depth to military ties with India</a></strong></p>
<p>
The Southern Naval Command – the training command of the Indian Navy – also assured their full commitment to providing training and development opportunities in all areas of interest to MNDF.</p>
<p>
<img alt="Maldives" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/maldives.webp" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /><br />
<br />
Maldives&#39; Ministry of Defence said that Didi told Vice-Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, of how impressed she was with the high quality of training offered by SNC which has been the training hub for MNDF&#39;s Coast Guard for over three decades and has helped professionalize the outfit.<br />
<br />
Didi has held a number of discussions on further boosting training engagements between MNDF and the Indian Navy after arriving in Kochi earlier this week on a six-day visit to India at the invitation of the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.</p>
<p>
<img alt="Maldives" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/maldives1.webp" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /><br />
<br />
The minister&#39;s India trip began while the 15th edition of trilateral Coast Guard Joint exercise &#39;DOSTI&#39; between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka was wrapping up in the seas off Male.<br />
<br />
India and Maldives, the two fulcrums in the Indian Ocean with deep historical links, have been elevating their partnership, working closely on a broad security agenda that includes counter terrorism, de-radicalisation and violent extremism in the region.<br />
<br />
The time-tested and good neighbourly ties between the two nations have scaled new heights since Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s state visit to the Maldives in June 2019. &nbsp;<br />
<br />
India, already deeply involved in enhancing the military heft of the Maldivian defence forces, has appreciated the &#39;clear-eyed stance&#39; taken by the government led by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to take terrorism head on.<br />
<br />
<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/india-and-maldives-set-to-nail-concrete-projects-during-foreign-minister-s-visit-80977.html">Bond of friendship between India and Maldives set to grow stronger</a><br />
</strong></p>
In a major boost for firepower of its fighter aircraft fleet, the Indian Air Force…
Amid deadlock on ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, an Egyptian delegation has arrived in…
In a demonstration of solidarity and advocacy, the World Sindhi Congress (WSC) took centre stage…
In a recent video message, Sohail Abro, chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM),…
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after concluding his three-day visit to China that he…
The e-commerce market in India is expected to skyrocket to USD 325 billion by the…