KOCHI: A three-day Indo-German naval exercise began on Tuesday, on the country`s western coast.

The two countries signed a defence cooperation agreement in 2006.

From the German side, the exercises will see the participation of over 700 personnel from the German Task Force comprising the Federal German Ship (FGS) Hamburg, an air-defence ship frigate FGS Koeln and a replenishment tanker FGS Berlin. The vessels arrived in Kochi on Saturday.

300 personnel and two frigates of the Indian Navy, apart from a helicopter and training ships INS Tir and INS Krishna will represent India.

Addressing mediapersons on board FGS Hamburg here on Monday, the Task Force Commander, Captain Michael Budde, said the German and Indian warships from the naval base here would jointly leave the Kochi harbour on Tuesday for the joint exercises.

`Seamanship, replenishment at sea and exchange of ship personnel and flying exercises will be held in the sea off Kochi. More advanced manoeuvres like surface and submarine warfare will be held further northwards, where the Indian frigates from the Western Naval Command will join.`

`We plan to have more joint exercises with the Indian Navy on a regular basis,` Captain Budde said.

Out at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi, the guests visited training establishments such as the Anti-Submarine Warfare School and the Navigation and Direction School.

German Ambassador Bernd Mutzelburg said his country was looking forward to forging a strategic partnership with India in different sectors.

`We are willing to transfer high-tech weaponry to the Indian armed forces to help their modernisation drive. India will get top-end technology and it will be a win-win situation for both countries in this partnership of equals. Germany needs to retain her competitive edge by making good use of the economy products manufactured in India.`

Germany is also willing to cooperate with the Indian industry in keeping with the Offset Clause in defence purchases (whereby supplies equivalent to 30 per cent of any defence contract worth over Rs. 300 crore have to be sourced from Indian firms).

He said bilateral trade doubled to 10 billion euros in the past three years. India sees Germany as a high-tech partner. Following the 2006 agreement, three working groups were formed, to enhance military-military, military-technical and military-political contacts.

Mr. Mutzelburg said the two countries had many things in common both are federal, secular democracies. `Both nations are striving for a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council.`

Rear Admiral Karl Wilhelm Bollow, Commander of Germany`s Flotilla II, who came to Kochi to inspect his units, said the Germans would also hold joint operations with the French and South African navies.