India, Thailand to enhance naval ties

Bangkok: India and Thailand, which share a maritime boundary, on Saturday identified exchange of white shipping information to complement each other's maritime domain awareness and also agreed to explore bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding projects.

Visiting Chief of Navy Staff Admiral R K Dhowan, who is here on a four-day official visit at the invitation of Admiral Kraison Chansuwanit, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, held high-level talks with senior Thai Government and armed forces officials. Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation between the two navies and agreed to enhance the same.

Taking into account the high degree of dependence of both the countries on maritime trade and the emerging asymmetric challenges in the maritime domain, the two sides identified exchange of white shipping information to complement each other's maritime domain awareness, greater degree of coordinated patrols, and anti-piracy as areas of immediate importance and also explored the possibility of cooperation in hydrographic surveys.

Expanding the scope of cooperation in training and education was also discussed during various interactions, sources said. Both sides also decided to explore bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding and ship construction projects. The two sides also exchanged views on developing a road map for Defence cooperation.

Admiral Dhowan also visited the facilities at the Sattahip Naval Base near here.