Navy chief Sunil Lanba begins tour of Mozambique, Tanzania for better bilateral cooperation

New Delhi: Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Sunday began an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and Tanzania with an aim of exploring new avenues of bilateral defence cooperation. [caption id=“attachment_1551355” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sunil Lanba. Indian Navy press release.[/caption] Admiral Lanba, who also heads the powerful Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), will be in Mozambique till 25 July. There, he will hold extensive talks with national defence minister Atanásio Salvador M’tumuke, Chief of General Staff General Graça Tomás Chongo besides chiefs of the army, navy and air force of the African nation. “The visit aims to consolidate bilateral defence relations with Mozambique and Tanzania, as also to explore new avenues for defence cooperation,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Admiral Lanba will begin his five-day-long visit to Tanzania on 26 July. He is scheduled to meet President of Tanzania John Magufuli, defence minister Hussein Mwinyi, foreign minister Augustine Mahiga and Chief of Defence Forces General Venance S Mabeyo among others, the defence ministry said. Indian Armed Forces cooperate with the armed forces of Mozambique and Tanzanian on many fronts, which include training and hydrography, besides participating in each other’s defence events. India and Mozambique have a Joint Defence Working Group (JDWG) for defence and security cooperation.