India, Bangladesh conduct naval exercise amid diplomatic chill

NEW DELHI: Diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh may have nose-dived since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year, but the military relationship continues as before. The navies from the two countries have just concluded a combat exercise and coordinated patrol in the Bay of Bengal this week.

The bilateral 'Bongosagar’ exercise, in which Indian destroyer INS Ranvir and Bangladeshi frigate BNS Abu Ubaidah took part, facilitated “collaborative responses to shared maritime challenges” and enhanced interoperability between the two navies, an officer said on Thursday.

The latest edition of the annual exercise, which began in 2019, involved a range of complex operations encompassing surface firing, tactical manoeuvres, underway replenishment, communication drills, and VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) operations.

“The exercise provided a wonderful opportunity for both navies to develop closer links in tactical planning, coordination and information sharing for undertaking seamless maritime operations,” the official said.

“The enhanced synergy of operations between the two navies is a testament to the shared commitment of countering global security challenges towards enhancing security and stability in the region,” he added.

India has steadily stepped-up military ties with Bangladesh, which incidentally acquired its first-ever diesel-electric submarines from China a few years ago, to counter Beijing’s strategic inroads into the country. Around 50-60 Bangladesh Army officers, for instance, attend specialized courses in Indian military establishments every year.

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi had recently said that India and Bangladesh consider each other “strategically important” neighbours and any kind of “animosity” between the two countries is not in the interest of either. The relationship between the two militaries is “very strong” and “we are able to exchange notes whenever we want,” he said.

Gen Dwivedi, however, had expressed “concern” over reports that a Pak Army-ISI delegation recently visited areas in Bangladesh close to the `Chicken's Neck’ or the Siliguri Corridor in West Bengal.

“I had used the word epicenter of terrorism for a particular country (Pakistan). Now those countrymen, if they go to any other place and they happen to be our neighbour, as far as I am concerned, I should be concerned about it. That they should not be able to use that soil to send terrorists to India,” he said.

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