Indian Navy has always been the White Knight of Hope in a time of conflict, disaster and they are truly in the creed of our country in values of our democracy, asserted HE Jawed Ashraf, High Commissioner of India to Singapore at the well-attended reception hosted at INS Kolkata on the occasion of 12th edition of International Maritime Defence Exhibition Asia 2019 (IMDEX Asia-2019) in Singapore.
Reminding the people of the great role played by Indian Navy at times of conflict and disaster, Jawed said, “Here is the Navy that has time and again risen to its duty in times of disaster or conflict pulling out nationalities from 48 countries out of Yemen, keeping people pulling out of Libya.”
“Last year, Indian Navy sent three ships of from Singapore to Sulawesi to provide rescue and relief when that island was hit by tsunami and earthquake. This year, just a few weeks ago, three of our training ships were diverted to Mozambique, the first to respond to an extraordinary cyclone that caused devastation along the entire coastline,” he added.
Notably, Indian Naval Ships Kolkata and Shakti are participating in the IMDEX Asia-2019. INS Kolkata is an advanced stealth destroyer capable of engaging multiple threats from the air, sea and underwater, and has been designed and built in India. INS Shakti is a fleet support ship to provide fuel, provisions and munitions toward ships at sea.
Lauding the role of the Indian Navy, Indian High Commissioner said, “Our is a Navy that believes in the principles of rule of law, collaboration, cooperation and coordination.”
Talking about the great responsibilities of guarding the Indian peninsula, Jawed said, “The Indian Navy has huge responsibilities of safeguarding 7,500 km of our coastline, seashores, over 1200 islands, 2.4 million square km of our exclusive economic zone. They also have the responsibility to safeguard the International Shipping Line which is known as the Transit Shipping Line for the entire world.”
“They have great responsibility in terms of being a partner to the littoral states in the Indian Ocean region helping them to manage their exclusive economic zone, building capacity, training and providing equipment- all in a spirit about which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Security and Growth for All (SAGAR) in the region,” he added.
Vice Admiral MS Pawar, AVSM, VSM, Deputy Chief of Naval is leading the Indian delegation.
Welcoming Pawar, the high commissioner said that he is the deputy chief of a great navy steeped in the traditions of the values of the world’s largest democracy. He also wished him on his birthday.
He also welcomed Captain Aditya Hara, Commanding Officer of INS Kolkata and Captain Shriram Amur, Commanding Officer of INS Shakti.
Earlier, while speaking about the important role played by Republic of Singapore Navy, Jawed said, “They are representatives and flag bearers of a deeply, deeply admired Navy in our part of the World, not just for the extraordinary capacity and skills that they bring to keep one of the most sensitive and important sea lanes safe for the world but also because they bear the responsibilities in the shores and seas way beyond their horizons with great professional responsibility and excellence.”
“India and Singapore share a strong and rapidly growing defence relation which is the key pillar of India Singapore strategic partnership based on deep mutual trust and goodwill and shared interest in rules-based order, maritime security and an open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific region,” read a statement issued by the High Commission of India in Singapore.