The navies of Singapore and Indonesia on Monday began to co-host the second Western Pacific Mine Countermeasure Exercise (MCMEX) and Western Pacific Diving Exercise (DIVEX), which will last for two weeks.

Speaking at an opening ceremony here on Monday, Singapore's Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean stressed the importance of multinational cooperation in dealing with global terrorism.

He said that maritime security is an extremely complex issue which will require the best efforts of the multiple stakeholders, namely the interested countries and their military enforcement agencies and port authorities, the shipping community, and multilateral bodies.

As legal and economic agencies move ahead to deal with these challenges, military and security agencies must be prepared to take a similarly forward-looking view, he said, adding that professional forums like the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS)have an important role to play in the development of concrete modalities of cooperation for regional maritime security.

About 1,600 personnel and 20 ships from 18 countries are involved in the two exercises, which will be conducted in the Singapore Strait and the waters off the Indonesian island of PulauBintan.

Apart from fostering rapport and understanding among participants, the exercises will also help promote inter-operability among the various navies.

Source: Xinhua