Joint military exercise between Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, 'Dhosthi' symbolizes the age-old friendship between the three countries, Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi has said.
Mariya made the statement at a ceremony held to inaugurate the 15th edition of the biennial exercise.
Exercise Dhosthi was initiated in 1991, and the Maldives and Indian Coast Guard have collaborated on conducting the exercise since then. Sri Lanka joined the exercise for the first time in 2012. While this year marks the 30th year since the conception of the exercise, Minister Mariya said the exercise being carried out over the years without fail attests to the importance the three countries give to ensure the safety of the surrounding seas. She further said reinforcing regional efforts to ensure the safety of the Indian Ocean and regional security is among the top policies of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
India-Maldives-Sri Lanka Tri-Lateral Exercise ‘DOSTI’ aims to further fortify the friendship, enhance the mutual operational capability, and exercise interoperability and build cooperation between the Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka. Exercises carried out over the past ten years focused on exercises and drills on assisting in sea accidents, the responsibility on the Coast Guard on eliminating sea pollution, and the Coast Guard's procedure and conduct during situations such as oil spills.
Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi speaking at the ceremony held to kick off Exercise Dhosthi
