Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan today left for Australia for a six day visit to consolidate existing maritime cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues. The Admiral's visit to Australia has been programmed to coincide with the prestigious annual Sea Power Conference organised by the Australia Navy. The forum provides opportunities to engage with heads of over 40 navies. <br/><br/>India-Australia have several commonalities, which serve as foundation for closer cooperation and multifaceted interactions. The defence cooperation between the two countries is robust and primarily focused towards maritime cooperation. <br/><br/>During the visit, Admiral Dhowan is scheduled to hold discussions with the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Chief of Defence Staff, Defence Secretary and other Senior Naval Officers. <br/><br/>India-Australia share similar maritime challenges such as long coastline, extensive Exclusive Economic Zone, coastal security, large coastal shipping and fishing fleet, where in both Navies have opportunities to learn from each other's experiences. In addition, common grounds exists for cooperation in ship-building, especially under India's Make in India initiative.