Indian Navy postpones 40-nation 'Milan 2020' exercise over Coronavirus fear

The Indian Navy on Tuesday postponed a multi-nation mega naval exercise 'Milan 2020' which was scheduled to be held off the coast of Visakhapatnam as part of precautionary measures against coronavirus infection.

The Milan naval exercise was scheduled to be held from March 18-28 and over 40 countries were expected to participate in the exercise.

The exercise has been postponed taking into consideration the "safety of all participants and travel restrictions imposed due to the spread of COVID-19", officials said.

The Milan 2020 had generated a very enthusiastic response, with Navies around the world having expressed desire to participate, they said, adding the Indian Navy looks forward to schedule the exercise at a later convenient date.

The Indian Navy would like to wholeheartedly thank the numerous navies from near and far for having accepted invitation to participate in the exercise, as also for the unstinted support provided in the run-up to this event, the officials said.