New Delhi: Admiral Aleksandr Alekseyevich Moiseyev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Federation Navy, is on an official visit to India from August 19-22 to strengthen bilateral naval relations between the two nations.

"The visit is a testimony to the longstanding relationship between the navies of Russia and India. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral naval relations between India and Russia as well as explore new avenues for naval cooperation," the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release.

Admiral Moiseyev called on Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, on Monday at the national capital. The two leaders held discussions on collaborative mechanisms and measures to further strengthen Navy-to-Navy cooperation.

The Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief was received with a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns.

The Indian Navy cooperates with the Russian Federation Navy on many fronts, which include operational interactions, training, hydrographic cooperation, and the exchange of subject matter experts in various fields through the IRIGC M&MTC mechanism between the two countries, the Ministry stated.

The Indian Navy has also been interacting with the Russian Federation Navy in various multilateral forums, viz. IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium), MILAN, IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association), WPNS (Western Pacific Naval Symposium) and ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus).

The C-in-C, Russian Federation Navy is also scheduled to meet the Chief of Defence Staff, the Defence Secretary, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, and the National Maritime Security Coordinator of India, as part of his official engagements in New Delhi.

In addition to New Delhi, the C-in-C, Russian Federation Navy, will also visit Mumbai, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, as well as visit indigenous warships and submarines; Naval Dockyard; and M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, the release added.

(With Inputs From Agencies)