The joint military exercise “Ekuverin” between the Indian Army & the Maldives National Defence Force has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023.
About Exercise Ekuverin:
- It is the 12th edition of a joint military exercise between India and Maldives.
- Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives.
- The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability in Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism Operations under the UN mandate and carrying out joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.
- The focus is to share best practices and enhance coordination and cooperation between both the forces at tactical level.
- The defence cooperation between the two countries extends from joint exercises to assisting the Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements.
- Both nations have very close and friendly relations in economic, cultural and military cooperation.
- ‘Ex Ekuverin’ will assist in further bolstering these ties between the two nations