Indian warships engage French, African navies in Indian Ocean
Dated 20/8/2008
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To further the naval ties with countries in West Asia and Africa and to make its presence felt in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India's warships are currently on two-month-long deployment in the Red Sea and along the east coast of Africa.
"The Indian ships will be present in the IOR for a while, doing some flag-showing and also engaging in naval diplomacy with some port calls, mid-sea exercises and interaction with personnel from the navies of the French, West Asian countries and the African continent," a top Navy official said here today.
The Indian warships -- INS Delhi, INS Talwar, INS Godavari and INS Aditya -- will simultaneously be visiting countries and ports along the eastern African coast and some ports in the Red Sea, apart from exercising with the French navy in the Gulf.
The ships from Indian Western Naval Command began their journey last month-end and are expected to come back to Indian shores in mid-September, the official said. INS Delhi and INS Talwar completed their visit to Safaga port in Egypt in Red Sea between August 5 and 8, while INS Godavari and INS Aditya sailed to Refaet-al-Assad in Syria.
The ships will now be sailing to Mombasa, the second largest port-city of Kenya, Darasalam in Nigeria, other east African ports and a couple of ports in Madagascar Island and Seychelles.
