Naval ships from India and Sri Lanka have arrived to conduct a joint military exercise with the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) Coast Guard.
The ships arrived for the biennial "Dosti-16" trilateral Coast Guard exercise, which is due to take place from February 22 to February 25, the MNDF said.
In addition to the Coast Guards of Maldives, India and Sri Lanka, observers from Bangladesh will also take part in the exercise, according to the MNDF.
The Dosti exercises are joint naval training exercises carried out by the three countries to ensure Indian Ocean safety and security. Since the inception of the program in 1991, the exercise program has been conducted every two years.
