Adm. Fahd Al-Ghufaili receives guard of honor in New Delhi Visit comes amid increasing tensions in Red Sea region NEW DELHI: India is seeking increasing cooperation with Saudi Arabia in maritime security, its navy has said, as it hosts the chief of the Kingdom’s naval forces on an official visit. Royal Saudi Naval Forces Chief of Staff Adm. Fahd Al-Ghufaili was received by his Indian counterpart, Adm. R. Hari Kumar, with a ceremonial guard of honor in New Delhi on Thursday. The Saudi commander is scheduled to meet India’s top defense officials and visit the Information Fusion Center for the Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram — the navy’s main maritime security center — and the Southern Naval Command in Kochi during the four-day visit. In a statement, the Indian Navy said that the visit is aimed at increasing naval cooperation between the two countries, and renewing the “sense of commitment of two friendly maritime neighbors to address shared maritime challenges.” The two forces have been engaged in various joint initiatives, such as exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi and sea training for King Fahd Naval Academy cadets at the Southern Naval Command. “Indian Navy ships have been regularly undertaking port calls at various ports of Saudi Arabia,” the navy said, adding that it has also been “interacting with Royal Saudi Naval Force in various multilateral fora ... where both navies have been supporting each other to supplement maritime security in the region.” Kabir Taneja, fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi and a specialist in India’s security relations with West Asia, views the Saudi naval chief’s visit as related primarily to growing bilateral defense ties. “We have seen the joint naval exercise being a success, and this is a continuation of that success,” he said, referring to last year’s Al-Mohed Al-Hindi drill. “India is also hoping to get Saudi Arabia a little bit more involved, let’s say, in areas such as its naval development, manufacturing of ships. India is a good market, and now has good experience in making destroyers, carriers, and can be a future partner when it comes to joint development projects.” The visit comes as India beefs up its maritime military presence following an increase in attacks in the Red Sea on vessels linked to Israel. In late December, it sent three warships to the Arabian Sea after a merchant vessel linked to Israel was hit by a drone off its western coast. “Security of free movement in international shipping lanes, free movement of trade — these are all concerns that countries like India and Saudi Arabia have,” Taneja said. “There is more and more development of common and strategic concerns for India and Saudi Arabia, and a robust mechanism to develop these relations further is underway. From that point of view, it’s a consistent and linear moving defense relationship.”