In an effort to further strengthen its ties with the Gulf countries, India and Saudi Arabia are now engaged in the first ever joint naval exercise there.
The drill including shore-based and sea exercises comes in the backdrop of Army Chief General M M Naravane visit to that country last year followed by IAF Chief R K S Bhadauria’s tour of the UAE recently. Naravane’s visit to Saudi Arabia was the first ever by an Indian army chief.
Giving details of the naval exercise, a navy official said here on Thursday the Indian Navy’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was set rolling with the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF), Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar, visiting the Fleet Commander of Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral Majid Al Qahtani, on Wednesday.
This was held at King Abdul Aziz Naval Base, which is the Headquarters for Saudi Eastern Fleet. The Indian officer also visited the King Fahd Naval Academy and met with the Commandant Rear Admiral Faisal Bin Fahd Al Ghufaily.
The Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed visited INS Kochi at Al Jubail and held a press conference onboard along with the FOCWF and the Commanding Officer of the ship.
On Thursday, the Indian Western Fleet Commander accompanied by the Indian Ambassador called on the Governor of Eastern Province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saud bin Nayef Al Saud at Dammam.
On the operational front, gearing up for the maiden bilateral exercise ‘AL – Mohed AL – Hindi’, the team of Indian Navy met with counterparts of the Royal Saudi Navy for a co-ordinating conference at King Abdulaziz Naval base in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. For deeper understanding of each other’s operational practices, lectures by subject matter experts from both navies were also held.
Incidentally, INS Kochi last week had held joint exercise with the UAE navy off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The UAE is the first country in the Gulf to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
The IAF had taken part in a multi-nation air exercise with the UAE in March this year there. The US, Saudi Arabia, France, South Korea, UAE and Bahrain were the other participants.
Signifying the growing ties with the countries in the Gulf, India is holding parleys with the UAE and Saudi Arabia for exporting its indigenously manufactured supersonic missile Brahmos and Akash surface to air missile.