The Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) launched Sunday the joint naval exercise Bridge-17 with the participation of the Saudi Eastern Fleet.

RBNF Commander Rear admiral Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdullah Al Khalifa attended the opening of the exercise and was briefed on its stages, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

The exercise aims to achieve integrated coordination and cooperation in the field of naval weapons, unifying concepts and enhancing teamwork skills, as well as exchanging expertise.

The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) said the exercise will run until 27 October.

Naval warships, auxiliary ships, landing ships, helicopters and several combat units will participate in the joint naval exercise to carry out a number of practical drills and tactical maneuvers in the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa received Monday Indian Homeland Security Minister Rajnath Singh on his arrival at Bahrain International Airport, on an official visit to the Kingdom.

The two sides are scheduled to hold a session of talks to discuss security cooperation and coordination and ways of expanding joint work, in addition to issues relating to regional security and stability.

On the sidelines of the visit, the first meeting of the Bahraini-Indian Security Committee will be held as part of the agreement that was signed by the two countries in December 2015 in India.

The agreement promotes cooperation in counterterrorism, organized crime and illegal trafficking of drugs and narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals. It also includes cooperation in fighting terrorism-related crimes, terrorism financing, illegal migration, forging IDs and passports for illegal use.

The Indian official expressed thanks and appreciation to the Interior Minister for the warm welcome, hailing the historical, strong and developing ties between the two friendly countries.