Indian Navy Chief to visit Russia to strengthen bilateral defense ties

New Delhi, [India] Nov 25 (ANI): Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba will head for a 3-day visit to Russia from November 26 to 29. His visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral defense relations and explore new avenues for defense cooperation between the two nations, said Ministry of Defence in a statement.
Lanba will reach St Petersburg on Monday, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Commander-in-Chief of Russian Federation Navy, Admiral Vladimir Korolev. The Indian Navy Chief would also lay a wreath at the Piskarev Memorial Cemetery, which is dedicated to the victims of the 'Siege of Leningrad.' Thereafter, Lanba will make a visit to the Nakhimov Naval School and Admiralty Shipyard.
At Moscow, Admiral Lanba will have discussions with the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, General VV Gerasimov and the Director of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of the Russian Federation, Dmitriy Shugaev.
According to the official statement, Lanba will also visit the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and deliver a talk on "Indian Navy's Perspective on Maritime Security."
The Indian Navy cooperates with the Russian Federation Navy on many fronts, including operational interactions, training, hydrography cooperation and exchange of subject matter experts in various fields through the medium of Navy-to-Navy staff talks.
Since 2003, the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy have been conducting the bilateral Maritime Exercise 'INDRA NAVY' and as well as INDRA Tri-Services Exercise since 2017. The next edition of Exercise INDRA-Navy is scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam in December 2018. (ANI)