Indian Naval ships visiting Egypt

Indian warships, INS Mumbai and INS Aditya, which are art of the Indian Navy's overseas deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and Africa's West Coast, arrived at Egypt's Alexandria on Friday on a three-day visit, a defence statement said.

The warships will engage extensively with the Egyptian Navy during their stay in harbour, it said.

Apart from professional interactions, a number of sports and social engagements are also planned, which would go a long way in enhancing co-operation and understanding between these two navies.

With both Indian and Egyptian governments keen on sustaining strong diplomatic ties, the current visit seeks to underscore India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries and, in particular, to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between India and Egypt, the Indian Navy said.

Indian naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region, including piracy off the coast of Somalia.

In addition, the Indian Navy has also been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with hydrographic surveys, search and rescue and other such capacity-building and capability-enhancement activities. The current deployment into the Mediterranean will contribute towards the Indian Navy's efforts to consolidate interoperability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas, the statement said.

The visiting ships are part of the Indian Navy's Western Naval Command, based in Mumbai. The Task Group is headed by Western Fleet chief, Rear Admiral R.B. Pandit, who is flying his flag on INS Mumbai.

--IANS

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