The navies of India and the US have a shared interest in providing security that guarantees a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson has said, amid China flexing its muscles in the region.
Admiral Richardson made the remarks after his meeting with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, who is on a five-day visit to America.
It was Richardson’s fourth meeting with Lanba. They had last met at the IMDEX Asia defence conference in Singapore in May 2017.
“We have a shared interest that our navies provide the security that underwrites a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Richardson told PTI after his meeting with Admiral Lanba.
“I’ve met often with Admiral Lanba and our discussions center on a naval partnership built on respect and trust,” he said yesterday.
The two Admirals met with US Secretary of Navy Richard V Spencer and discussed ways to improve interoperability to include additional naval exercises and staff talks, said a Pentagon readout of the meeting.
“Naval exercises like Malabar and the Rim-of-the-Pacific are examples of our deepening cooperation and I look forward to continuing to explore opportunities that increase our interoperability,” Richardson said.