The annual joint military exercise between the Maldives and India, Ekuverin (Friends), began in Trivandrum on Tuesday.

According to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), the exercises will continue for 14 days until December 16. Forty-five soldiers of the MNDF Marine Corps are participating.

Major Abdul Haseeb Ibrahim, Director of Operations and Training and Education, Marine Corps Headquarters, was appointed as the commander of the troops participating in the exercise.

The Ekuverin exercise was launched in 2014. Since then, at least eight trainings have been conducted between the two countries.