UAE, India to hold naval drills in March
abu dhabi — Giving a big push to bilateral ties, the UAE and India decided to conduct their first-ever joint naval exercise, a top Indian official said in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command of Indian Navy, said the first full-fledged naval exercise will be towards the end of March next year. He noted that these developments were signs of the bilateral relations going from strength to strength.
“Many new initiatives are on the anvil. We have had very long and strong relationship with the UAE. And the maritime relationship is getting better each day. There are a number of areas where the two navies cooperate with different operations at sea. We have port visits and training exchanges. We have areas of information sharing.
“In the present environment, cooperation between the naval forces is of paramount importance to ensure stability and security in the India-Pacific and Gulf region,” Vice Admiral Luthra said during a media interaction onboard INS Teg, a one of the two ships on goodwill visit to the UAE. The other ship is INS Trikand and both are docked at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi.
The INS Teg is a stealth frigate capable of undertaking multi-dimensional warfare under commanding officer Nirbhay Bapna, It has added teeth to India’s western fleet and is termed the ‘sword arm’ of the Indian Navy. The ship represented India in several overseas deployments, including three anti-piracy deployments. It has also excelled in tactical exercise since 2012.
The India-UAE ties have undergone a paradigm shift following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year. The visit was first in 34 years by an Indian prime minister. Modi visited the UAE following an invitation from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, who attended the Indian Republic Day Parade.
A 149-strong UAE military contingent, accompanied by a UAE military band of 35 personnel, opened the parade, becoming the first foreign country to lead India’s Republic Day celebrations. Since then, the two countries have widened their areas of cooperation in many fields.
The ships docked at the Zayed Port will depart on Tuesday.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com