India, France to hold joint naval exercise

India and France are holding their joint naval exercise, known as Varuna 19.1, which is being conducted off the coast of Goa from May 1 to May 10.

The bilateral naval exercise, which is the 17th edition, includes the participation of the French Navy's aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, FNS Forbin and FNS Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear submarine, said an official statement.

From the Indian side, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, destroyer INS Mumbai, the Teg-class frigate, INS Tarkash, the Shishumar - class submarine, INS Shankul, and the Deepak-class fleet tanker, INS Deepak, will be participating in the joint exercise, it added.

The exercise will be conducted in two phases. The harbour phase at Goa would include cross-visits, professional interactions and discussions and sports events. The sea phase would comprise various exercises across the spectrum of maritime operations.

The second part of the naval exercise, Varuna 19.2, is scheduled to be held at the end of May in Djibouti, the statement said.

The bilateral naval exercise initiated in 1983 and christened as 'Varuna' in 2001, form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership.

"Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, this exercise exemplifies the strong relations between the two nations, in line with the joint strategic vision of India-French cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region signed by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former's state visit to India in March 2018," the statement said.

The Varuna exercise aims at developing interoperability between the two navies and fostering mutual cooperation by learning from each other's best practices to conduct joint operations.

"The exercise underscores the shared interests and commitment of both the nations in promoting maritime security," the statement further said.