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Indian Navy looks to boost relations with Kuwait Navy

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The Indian Navy seeks to bolster its relations with Kuwait Navy by taking defense cooperation between the two countries to a new level, said a visiting naval official here yesterday. Addressing a press conference on board INS Mysore, one of the two Indian ships arrived in Kuwait on a goodwill visit, Rear Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, NM, VSM, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet, said the visit, part of Indian Navy’s normal overseas deployment, aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries.

Two Indian ships-INS Mysore, an indigenously designed destroyer class of ship and INS Tarkash, the second of the Teg class frigates, arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday. Two other ships on a similar mission are currently stationed in Qatar. As the two ships sail off tomorrow after the three-day visit, they will hold joint naval exercises with the Kuwait Navy. “India has a very ancient maritime tradition. India’s interactions with our friends in the Gulf region go back more than three-and-half millennia. We like to see ourselves as part of this continuing tradition of maritime interaction between India and the Gulf countries, particularly Kuwait with whom India has very warm relations, especially in the years after the independence of both countries,” Admiral Chawla told a group of journalists who were invited to visit the Indian ships anchored at Shuwaikh port. “During this visit, we will hold high-level discussions with the Kuwaiti defense establishment in addition to talks on issues of mutual interest that will take the relations between the countries to a new level. I hope this will also open up more avenues of cooperation,” he said.

Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta, while introducing the naval officers, said the visit of the two Indian ships takes place after a gap of six years. It may be recalled that Indian ships INS Rajput and INS Betwa had visited Kuwait in 2007. “Traditionally, Indian Navy enjoys very good relations with Kuwaiti armed forces. These relations have witnessed a spurt in the recent times following the exchange of highlevel visits. We hope that the visit of these ships will further strengthen the relations between the two countries. It can also create opportunities of training for both navies,” Admiral Chawla said.

He also expressed the navy’s willingness to build ships for Kuwait Navy or the government. India and Kuwait are also members of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a voluntary and co-operative initiative between 35 countries of the Indian Ocean Region, which has served as an ideal forum for sharing of information and cooperation on maritime issues. “We are the largest regional resident navy present in the Indian Ocean. We call it a six-dimensional navy because it has ships, aircraft, aircraft carriers, submarines and marine commandos in addition to capabilities that span the cyber and space arenas as well,” Admiral Chawla said. The visiting ships form part of the Indian Navy’s western fleet under the Western Naval Command and are based in Mumbai. The group is headed by Admiral Chawla, who is flying his flag INS Mysore.

INS Tarkash is commanded by Captain Antony George NM VSM, an anti-submarine warfare specialist. Indian Navy has a fleet of 131 ships and 200 aircraft of different types. “Indian Navy sees itself as a force for peace in the region for the last 60 odd years after independence. Its main mission is to ensure peace and stability in the region. We are ready to offer assistance to our friends as required by them,” he added. Talking about the indigenization plan of the Indian Navy, Admiral Chawla said 46 ships are currently being built in India . “INS Mysore is designed and built in India as we have our own design bureau.

One of our primary objectives is to indigenize aircraft carriers,” he informed. Answering a question regarding the involvement of Indian Naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia since October 2008, he said, “Piracy has been largely contained and rolled back close to the coasts of Somalia. A large number of ships from many countries are deployed here. Two Indian ships are also in the troubled waters. Over the last one year, the region has been largely incident-free barring a few piracy attempts. It is a continuing effort and the issues will not completely be resolved until the disputes over the land are settled,” he pointed out

http://news.kuwaittimes.net/indian-navy-looks-boost-relations-kuwait-navy-bilateral-maritime-heritage-focus/

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