Admiral Sir George Zambellas, the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Royal Navy visited India from 16 to 19 March 15.

The Admiral was received at South Block lawns by Admiral R.K. Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, and was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour. During the day, the dignitary held bilateral discussions with the Defence Minister and the three Service Chiefs as well as various senior Ministry of Defence and other government officials at New Delhi.

The Admiral also visited some of Indian Navy’s training establishments at Kochi, and interacted with the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, the Flag Officer Sea Training and the Flag Officer Naval Aviation at Goa. While in Kochi, the Admiral was shown the first aircraft carrier, being built indigenously at the Cochin Shipyard Limited.

The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy cooperate with each other in technical training, anti-piracy patrols and Navy to Navy Staff Talks. The two navies have been exercising together at sea in the bilateral Exercise Konkan since 2004. Warships from both navies call at each other’s ports, which provide excellent opportunity for professional interaction and building bridges of friendship. Issues that are likely to be discussed during the First Sea Lord’s visit include enhancement of training exchanges, improving maritime domain awareness by sharing of white shipping information and participation of the Royal Navy in the prestigious International Fleet Review being organised by the Indian Navy off Visakhapatnam in February 2016.