Indian Naval Ship Kulish visits Belwan harbour to emphasize India's peaceful presence in maritime domain

Indian Naval Ship Kulish and a maritime patrol aircraft entered Belwan harbour, Indonesia, for the opening ceremony of the 32nd edition of India-Indonesia coordinated patrol, Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

"The visit seeks to emphasize India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain, consolidate interoperability and strengthen existing bonds of friendship between the two countries," the ministry said.

The ships and aircraft from both the countries would undertake to patrol on the respective side of 236 nautical-mile international maritime boundary line.

"The patrolling would be conducted in three phases from October 14 to 24, followed by a closing ceremony at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Island, scheduled from October 25 to 26," it said.

In the recent past, Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed to address maritime concerns of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The current deployment will contribute towards the Indian Navy's effort to forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas and consolidate interoperability, it added.

(With inputs from agencies.)