New Delhi: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar on Wednesday held discussions with Admiral John C Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command in New Delhi.

The US Admiral was earlier accorded a formal welcome in New Delhi with a guard of honour at the South Block, the Indian Navy informed in a tweet.

The two commanders discussed avenues to further enhance the existing cooperation between the two Navies.

"Defence cooperation has been a critical element of Indo-US relations. Towards ensuring Free, Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific, both the Admirals discussed avenues to further enhance the existing cooperation between two Navies through capability enhancement and cooperative engagements," Indian Navy's spokesperson tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Admiral Aquilino had also called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

This comes in the wake of the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue earlier this month where the US had supported India as a defence industry leader in the Indo-Pacific and a net provider of security in the region.