India and the European Union (EU) will perform a three -day joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean. This joint naval exercise testifies to the deepening of security cooperation between India and the EU.
The exercise, scheduled from June 1 to 3, will featured Indian Navy warships, and two frigates, one from Italy and one from Spain, which both exercise tasks with the operation of the naval force of the European Union Atalanta in the Indian Ocean.
“The joint exercise will focus on advanced counter-piracy, interoperability, tactical maneuvers and improved communication protocols, reflecting the growing cooperation of maritime security between the two parties,” the EU said in a statement.
In recent years, EU / India naval cooperation has deepened with joint exercises in the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Guinea; The Indian Navy (in) recently escorted ships in charge of the World Food Program in concert with the Atalanta operation.
India and the EU have strengthened maritime security cooperation in recent years, and several European block member states have published their strategies for Indo-Pacific. “There is a common commitment, between the EU and India, to a free, open, inclusive maritime order based on rules in the Indo-Pacific region,” the statement said.
The commitment to engagement is rooted in our respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overview, legitimate trade without hindrance and the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The joint exercise will be considered an important follow -up of the visit of India to the college of EU commissioners, led by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in February. One of the main deliverables of this visit was an improvement in commitment to awareness of the maritime field, to allow common understanding, coordination and interoperability.
During the fourth EU-India maritime security dialogue in March, there was an appeal to cooperation aimed at combating illegal activity at sea and to explore the possibilities of maritime actions jointly in accordance with the objectives of the joint financial year. In April, Vice-Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, commander of the operation for Operation Atalanta, visited India to strengthen cooperation with the Indian Navy.
The Atalanta operation, launched in 2008 in the context of a European Union mandate to combat hacking and armed robbery in the Gulf of Aden, had its relatively narrow-out development over time to include a wide range of potential maritime security challenges, such as counteractivity against drugs, smuggling weapons and deterrence of the Western Indian Ocean.
War ships from EU member states were deployed with Operation Atalanta and operating in the Indian Ocean have proceeded to pass or move from the exercise or to “pass” with the Indian navy in the past.
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