New Delhi, Oct 20 (UNI) Aiming to boost their operational coordination, India and Russia on Friday started their first tr-service exercise INDRA 2017. The Indian contingent includes nearly 450 personnel from Army, Air Force and Navy while the Russian side is being represented by 1,000 personnel in the 10-day exercise. In his address at the opening ceremony, Maj Gen ND Prasad, the Indian task force commander, said that the first ever tri-service exercise between the two countries reflects the vibrancy of the continued Indo-Russian strategic partnership, the defence ministry said in a statement. The opening ceremony of the exercise at Vladivostok was marked by tri-services march-past by both the sides, besides display of traditional martial arts by the Indian troops. He said with the rich operational experience of Russian and Indian armies in counter insurgency operations, both sides will gain immensely from each other to further develop their capabilities. Lt Gen Solomatin, Chief of Staff, Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation said that the exercise will further strengthen the relationship between the two defence forces. Lt Gen JS Negi, leader of the tri-services observer delegation said that the conduct of the first ever tri-service exercise between the two countries is a significant step in mutual cooperation and marks an important milestone in the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He expressed his confidence that the joint training between the two defence forces over the next ten days will help them share their best practices and serve in strengthening mutual confidence and interoperability. The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have been holding bilateral exercises separately with their Russian counterparts but it is is for the first time that the two countries are carrying out a tri-services exercise. The opening ceremony was followed by a ceremonial banquet hosted by the Russian side, where both sides interacted in an informal atmosphere and expressed their common intent and strong resolve to conduct the exercise in a professional manner, so as to achieve the overall objectives of Exercise INDRA 2017. UNI ASH SHK 1925