| Nuri Sufri |
THE High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam and the Indian Navy jointly hosted a dinner reception onboard the navy’s amphibious warship INS Airavat at the Muara Port yesterday to celebrate the friendship between Brunei and India.
As one of the dialogue partners of Asean, India is among the 18 participating countries in the Asean Defence Minister’s Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism (MS & CT) Exercise which is currently held in Brunei Darussalam.
Speaking to the Bulletin, Nagma Mohammed Mallick, High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam, said that the reception “is to celebrate the arrival of INS Airavat and the good defence cooperation between India and Brunei”.
The event commenced with opening remarks by Commander Jayant Mahadik, Commanding Officer of INS Airavat, and the high commissioner, followed by singing of the national anthems of Brunei and India and the cake-cutting ceremony.
Deputy Minister of Defence First Admiral (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit (2nd left) onboard the INS Airavat. – NURI SUFRI
In her speech, the Indian envoy highlighted that India’s focus is on strengthening the multi-faceted relationship with Asean based on its ‘Look East’ policy which has now matured into a dynamic and action-orientated ‘Act East’ policy.
“The ADMM-Plus has become an important platform for Asean and its eight dialogue partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region”, she said.
She also highlighted that Brunei have had regular high level defence exchanges with India including visits of naval and coast guard ships, training, participation in ADMM-Plus exercises on maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, medical exercise and goodwill visits by ships as well as participation in each other’s defence exhibitions, the envoy added.
She also referred to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation during Indian Vice- President Mohammad Hamid Ansari’s visit to Brunei from February 1-3, “which has further strengthened the relations between the two countries”.
Yesterday’s event was attended by over 100 military personnel, government officials, and foreign delegates.
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