Washington: US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson said his recent visit to India was a "critical opportunity" to strengthen ties between the two navies and sharing views on a multilateral approach in maintaining maritime domain awareness in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
Richardson, who was on a three-day visit to India, met his Indian counterpart Admiral Sunil Lanba and other senior officers and discussed joint exercises between the two navies amid rising Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
He told reporters in Washington that both the countries have explored ways to make the growing relationship between the US Navy and the Indian Navy "more vibrant".
His India trip ended on Tuesday. The two heads of the navy also discussed the strategic importance of growing the two navies' partnership and the need to focus on information sharing and exchange. They also discussed their shared view on a multilateral approach in maintaining maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two sides also shared concerns over the maritime dimension of terrorism and determined to take coordinated steps to combat it. (AIR NEWS)