Maldivian Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon emphasised the significance of cooperation and interoperability among Coastguard personnel from the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, saying that the trilateral exercise “Dosti” will bring the troika together to address common maritime security concerns. Speaking during a ceremony to formally launch the 16th version of Dosti, the biennial exercise, which started on Thursday, February 22 and finished on Sunday, February 25, was Maumoon.

Exercise DOSTI-16 involved the participation of the Indian Coast Guard ships Samarth and ICGS Abhinav, as well as the Sri Lankan naval ship Samudura. Bangladesh was an observer.

According to Sri Lanka, Dosti’ is a trilateral exercise designed to promote mutual operational capabilities, foster friendship, foster cooperation, and foster interoperability amongst Coast Guard personnel from Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement that the exercise, which is slated to take place from February 22 to 25, will give participating forces the chance to participate in a range of maritime activities, such as interdiction operations, search and rescue missions, surveillance, and communication drills. It stated that the goal of these actions is to improve their combined capacity to address issues related to maritime security and safety.

The Maldivian government’s ministers, Lieutenant General Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef, Chief of Defence Force, Brigadier General Ibrahim Hilmy, Vice Chief of Defence Force, Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, ADG S Paramesh, and foreign ambassadors attended the February 22 inauguration ceremony, according to a late-night statement from the MNDF.

During his speech, Maumoon emphasised the need for more cooperation between the coastguards of Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives in order to solve common issues related to maritime security.

The goal of Exercise Dosti is to promote regional cooperation in areas including medical evacuations, search and rescue, pirate prevention, pollution response, and disaster relief and humanitarian support.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration, according to Maumoon, places the utmost focus on maintaining strong ties, peace, and stability between the Maldives and its neighbouring countries, according to the news portal Edition.mv.

According to the portal, he stated that the President has promised to prioritise preserving regional security and that Sri Lanka’s involvement in the training since 2012 has advanced the plan.

“EX-DOSTI-16,” a trilateral joint exercise, gets underway. The MNDF posted on its official X handle along with photos from the event late on Friday night local time. Minister of Defence @mgmaumoon graced the inauguration ceremony, emphasising the significance of this historic event in uniting the Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka to address shared maritime security concerns through collaboration.

In addition to the official opening, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, the Maldives’ Minister of Defence, and Moosa Zameer, the country’s Foreign Minister, were received aboard ICGS Samarth for the trilateral exercise DOSTI XVI by Munu Mahawar, India’s High Commissioner, and S Paramesh, ADG of the Indian Coast Guard. encouraging collaboration and fortifying ties with our marine neighbours! the visit’s images were shared on X by the Indian Coast Guard.

Maritime interdiction operations, ocean search and rescue operations, maritime surveillance, and communication drills are all part of the training programme.The training exercises are taking place in the Male region and its adjacent waters, MV stated.

With just the Maldives and India, the “Dosti” series of naval drills had its start in 1992. In 2012, Sri Lanka became a part of the scheme, and this year, for the 16th edition, the Bangladesh Coast Guard has also become an observer.