Dhaka: Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has met with the newly-appointed army chief of Bangladesh General Waker-Uz-Zaman, and discussed the robust bilateral ties and explored new avenues for cooperation between the two armed forces.

Admiral Tripathi began a five-day visit to Bangladesh on June 30 to consolidate the bilateral defence engagement and explore new avenues of cooperation in the maritime domain.

This visit is Admiral Tripathi’s first official visit abroad after he took the reins of the Navy two months ago.

“During his ongoing visit to Bangladesh, Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, interacted with General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of the Army Staff, Bangladesh Army, at Bangladesh Army Headquarters, Dhaka,” the spokesperson for the Indian Navy said in a post X on Thursday.

“The two principals discussed longstanding and robust ties between the two nations and initiatives for enhancing defence cooperation and exploring further avenues in areas of training and joint exercises between the armed forces of Bangladesh and India,” the post said.

Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman was last month named Bangladesh’s next Army chief for a three-year term and assumed charge on June 23, the Defence Ministry said.

Admiral Tripathi, during his visit, also interacted with Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood, the Chief of the Air Staff, Bangladesh Air Force.

“During the interaction, the longstanding and strong ties between the two nations were highlighted, and initiatives for enhancing cooperation in the field of training, joint exercises and interoperability were discussed,” the post said.

Admiral Tripathi also held bilateral discussions with his counterpart, Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy, in Dhaka.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through Port Calls and bilateral Naval Exercises, along with Capacity Building, Capability Enhancement and Training initiatives, a statement from the Indian Navy said, adding that the visit of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, will further strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between the navies of both countries.

During his visit, Admiral Tripathi also interacted with Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique (Retd), the Security Advisor to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, at Dhaka and discussed with him enhancing the long-standing relations between the two nations through defence cooperation.

The Indian Navy chief also called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who said the ties between India and Bangladesh could be seen as a model of bilateral ties for the South Asian region.

(With Inputs From Agencies)