Visakhapatnam, February 19 – The Indian Navy held a series of high-level bilateral interactions with naval leaders from several partner nations on the sidelines of the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 in Visakhapatnam, further strengthening India's growing maritime cooperation across regions.
Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, held talks with South African Navy Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, reflecting the strong trajectory of bilateral naval cooperation, including Exercise IBSAMAR, reciprocal port calls, operational sea training, and enhanced information sharing for Maritime Domain Awareness. The presence of the SAS Amatola underscored South Africa's active participation in IFR 2026.
CNS also interacted with Iranian Navy Commander, Admiral Shahram Irani, with both sides discussing expanding operational cooperation through port visits and training exchanges, while reaffirming engagement under the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), including collaboration through working groups and the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX).
The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, met with the Chief of the Seychelles Defence Forces, Major General Michael Rosette, and their discussions highlighted sustained operational engagement, including regular port calls by Indian Navy ships, Seychelles' participation through the PS Zoroaster, and cooperation in training and hydrographic domains, as well as continued collaboration under the SAGAR initiative.
Vice Admiral Swaminathan also met with the Commander of the Kenya Navy, Major General Paul Owuor Otieno, focusing on strengthening operational interactions, training cooperation, and information sharing. Discussions also noted the presence of a Kenya Navy liaison officer at the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR).
Additionally, the Chief of the Western Naval Command met with the Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Commodore Floyd P. Moxey, to discuss capacity building and training support.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, interacted with Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), exploring avenues for enhanced cooperation following the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed in January 2026.
These interactions collectively underscored India's commitment to strengthening maritime partnerships and promoting security, stability, and cooperation across the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The International Fleet Review 2026 (IFR 2026) is an international maritime exercise hosted and conducted by the Indian Navy on behalf of the President in February 2026 to improve relations with other navies in the region.
IFR 2026, along with MILAN, is the largest maritime assembly hosted by India since Independence.