Army chief General J J Singh's four-day official visit to Maldives concluded on Thursday with India bolstering security dialogue and interaction with the neighbouring country.

During his stay in the Indian Ocean island archipelago, Singh held talks with Maldives' national security chief and called on President Mammon Abdul Gayoom.

The army chief's trip to the island follows visits by then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and former naval chief Admiral Arun Prakash.

India recently gifted an offshore patrol vessel to the island nation and has also trained and armed its national security force personnel.

The high-level visits are also part of moves to bolster military interaction with the neighbours to neutralise growing Chinese diplomacy to gain influence in the Indian Ocean area.