Maldives and India have held extensive discussions pertaining to the enhancement of bilateral ties in the military field. The discussions took place during the Chief of Defence Force Major General Ibrahim Hilmy's official visit to India. The trip was undertaken by the Chief of Defence Force, to participate in the fifth India-Maldives Defence Cooperation Dialogue held in New Delhi, the capital of India. The dialogue commenced on September 6, with Hilmy as the senior delegation representing the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Defence Secretary of India Shri Giridhar Aramane, as the senior delegation of India.
During the Chief of Defence Hilmy's official visit to India, he met with several military personnel from India's military, including the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi and the Additional Director General of Indian Coast Guard S. Paramesh. These meetings saw talks, focusing on the military ties of the two nations and the safety and security of the region, taking place.
At the dialogue, both nations discussed strategies to enhance the bilateral military ties, increase mutual support in the field of military by sharing information on education and training, while discussing measures to undertake to improve the maritime safety and security of the region. During the sidelines of the dialogue, Hilmy visited the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region, established in India, and observed the significant works taking place.
In addition to Hilmy, Commandant of the Marine Core Brigadier General Abdulla Zuhury, the Defence Advisor from the Maldives to India Brigadier General Mohamed Ibrahim, Commandant of the Service Core Brigadier General Hussain Ibrahim participated in the dialogue. Additionally, Commandant of Coast Guard Brigadier General Mohamed Saleem, Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre Colonel Amanullah Ahmed Rasheed and Principal Director of the Directorate of Plans Policy and Resource Management Colonel Ahmed Mujthaba also attended the event.