INS Delhi, INS Trishul to make goodwill visits to Qatar

DUBAI: Seeking to boost defence cooperation between India and Qatar, two warships of Indian Navy will make a goodwill visit to the strategically located Gulf nation next week.

Indian Naval Ships Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul are currently on a month-long deployment to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to enhance bilateral ties and engage in naval exercises with friendly regional navies.

The Indian Navy has close and friendly ties with all navies in the Gulf and has been regularly exercising with many of them. The involvement of Indian Naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia since October, 2008 has further strengthened bilateral ties and interactions with navies in the region, Indian embassy in Qatar said in a statement.

During the visit from September 14-17, the warships will have professional interactions for enhancing cooperation and sharing the nuances of naval operations including disaster management and combating maritime threats of terrorism and piracy.

Apart from professional interactions, sports and social engagements are also planned.

The growing naval cooperation between India and Qatar is further demonstrated by the increased high level visits in addition to training of naval officers and port visits by naval ships, the release said.

GCC member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.