New Delhi, January 11: Boosting cooperation with the Indian Coast Guard in anti-piracy operations and furthering bilateral ties will be high on the agenda of Japanese Coast Guard chief during his visit to India beginning today.
During the four-day visit, Japanese Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Hisayasu Suzuki will meet Indian Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Anil Chopra.
Admiral Suzuki is accompanied by a six-member delegation comprising experts on various maritime subjects and his visit is mandated under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between ICG and JCG in November 2006, an ICG spokesperson said in press release here.
The delegation will also interact with the officials of the Ministry of Defence and deliberate on common maritime interests.
A visit is planned for the delegation to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, which will offer an opportunity for mutual exchanges on Search and Rescue (SAR) procedures, formulating communication linkages between MRCCs of the two countries and an insight into the Indian Ship Reporting System (INDSAR), he said.
Under the MoC, the heads of the two Coast Guards meet alternately in India and Japan to discuss maritime issues of mutual concerns and formulate a cooperative approach to address them.
—PTI–