French Navy chief arrives on official visit to India

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) French Navy chief Admiral Christophe Prazuck on Sunday arrived here on an official visit which aims to consolidate naval relations between India and France, as also to explore new avenues for cooperation. During his visit, Admiral Prazuck will hold bilateral discussions with Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and other senior officials of the Indian Navy. "A range of issues of mutual interest to both navies, encompassing maritime operations, training, logistics and maintenance would be discussed during these meetings," the Navy said in an official release. The Indian Navy cooperates with its French counterpart on many fronts, which include bilateral naval exercise 'Varuna', interaction on aircraft carrier operations and in generating maritime domain awareness through the medium of security dialogue and staff talks. In addition, ships from both navies make regular port calls at each other's ports.
--IANS mak/prs