Trilateral exercise 'Dosti-16' kicks off in Maldives

The India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral exercise ‘Dosti’ has kicked off in the Maldives.

The 16th iteration of ‘Dosti” was inaugurated by Maldivian Defense Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon on Friday night.

Speaking at the event, Ghassan emphasized the importance of greater collaboration between the coast guards of Maldives, India and Sri Lanka to address shared maritime security concerns.

The biennial exercise, which began on Thursday, will continue until Sunday.

Exercise ‘Dosti’ focuses on regional cooperation in areas such as search and rescue, medical evacuations, countering piracy, pollution response, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.

The exercise was launched by Maldives and India in 1991. It was expanded to include Sri Lanka in 2012. This year, Bangladesh is also joining the exercise as an observer.