India, Madagascar intensify defence cooperation

Antananarivo : Defence Minister of Madagascar, General Leon Jean Richard Rakotonirina, on Friday (local time) visited four Indian naval ships in the northern port city of Antsiranana, also known as Diego Suarez, and held discussions to intensify defence cooperation between the two countries.
As part of Indian Navy’s Overseas Deployment, ships of Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron – Indian Naval Ships Tir, Sujata and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi – arrived at Antsiranana, Madagascar, on October 1, for a three-day visit.
The senior officer of the First Training Squadron is Captain Varun Singh, who is also Commanding Officer of INS Tir.
Indian Navy ships are regularly deployed overseas as part of Indian Navy’s mission of building ‘bridges of friendship’ and strengthening international cooperation with friendly countries.
Addressing a joint press conference with Indian ambassador Abhay Kumar and Captain Singh onboard, Rakotonirina said that Madagascar and India relations are centuries old and there is a reason why the ocean that surrounds Madagascar is named the Indian Ocean.
Later in the evening, the Defence Minister also attended a reception hosted by the Ambassador onboard and sung a Hindi song ‘Kuchh kuchh hota hai’ after his speech which he requested to be simultaneously translated into Hindi.