Military ships from India, Sri Lanka in Maldives for joint exercise

Military ships from neighboring India and Sri Lanka have arrived in the Maldives to participate in the Trilateral Joint Exercise ‘DOSTI-16’, as per the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

MNDF, in a post on X, welcomed the participating ships from India and Sri Lanka for the joint exercise that will be held from today onwards till Sunday. The exercise will be observed by observers from Bangladesh.

MNDF welcomes participating ships from India and Sri Lanka for the Trilateral Joint Exercise "DOSTI-16" from Feb 22-25. Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, along with observers from Bangladesh, join in this biennial event to enhance collaboration between the forces. pic.twitter.com/csAF51qTTl

— Maldives National Defence Force (@MNDF_Official) February 22, 2024

The purpose of the biennial exercise is to enhance military collaboration between the three nations and explore ways the nations can work together with respect to incidents unfolding at sea.

DOSTI exercise initially kicked off between Maldives and India in 1991. Sri Lanka first participated in the exercise in 2012. The exercise was last held in 2021.