INDRA-2017 military exercise begins in Vladivostok

In a glittering opening ceremony in Vladivostok, Russia, on Friday morning, Indian Task Force Commander Major General N D Prasad and Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Federation, Lt. Gen. Solomatin, declared the tri-service Exercise INDRA 2017 open.

Major General Prasad and Lt. Gen. Solomatin inspected the smartly turned out contingents of the two countries, which was followed by a march past.

The opening ceremony also witnessed an astounding display of traditional martial arts and folk dances by the Indian troops and a flypast by four fighter aircraft of Russian Federation Air Force.

In his address, Major General Prasad said this first ever tri-service exercise between both countries reflects the vibrancy of the continued Indo-Russian strategic partnership, and added that with the rich operational experience of both Russian and Indian armies in counter insurgency operations, both sides will gain immensely from each other.

Lt. Gen. Solomatin said the tri-service exercise will further strengthen the relationship between the two defence forces and lead to enhanced mutual cooperation between the two great countries.

Lt.Gen. J S Negi, leader of the tri-services Observer delegation, said the first ever tri-service exercise between the two countries is a significant step in mutual cooperation and marks an important milestone in the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He expressed his confidence that the joint training between the two defence forces over the next ten days will result in gaining from the experience and best practices of each other and would further enhance mutual confidence.

The opening ceremony was followed by a ceremonial banquet hosted by the Russian side, where both sides interacted in an informal atmosphere and expressed their common intent and strong resolve to conduct the exercise in a professional manner, so as to achieve the overall objectives of Exercise INDRA 2017.