India, Qatar to conduct joint naval exercises

A Qatar-India joint naval exercise is presently at an advanced stage of discussions, Rear Admiral Shekhar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet (FOCW), Indian Navy, said on 28 August. He was speaking to reporters at a press conference on board INS Delhi, which is on a five-day port visit to Qatar.

India and Qatar can play a major role in maintaining permanent peace in the Indian Ocean. Both the nations are committed to protect their respective territorial waters from non-state powers like pirates and terrorists, Rear Adminral Sinha said. He pointed out that patrolling the waters of Indian Ocean was essential to preserve its use by legitimate mariners and also to deter the non-state operators from using those waters.

Sinha said the focus of the discussions was primarily to see whether Qatar had any serious interests in terms of training. Both Qatar and India had sent military delegations to each other''s country.

Asked whether Indian Navy has plans to sell its products in the region, Sinha said Indian Navy has no such business interests. But, if Gulf countries were keen on Indian defence products, they were free to visit its shipbuilding units.

Qatar is the first country in the region where the Indian navy has made a port call. The Indian navy vessels will visit Kuwait, Manama, Al Jubail, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Djibouti ports in the coming days, he said.

Sinha said that like all other naval forces, the Indian Navy is also actively involved in combating terrorism, and that non-state elements could not be allowed to hamper freedom of navigation. The Indian Navy has extensive operations in its territorial waters to combat the threat, he said.

On reports about India signing a defence treaty with certain Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Indian ambassador Dr George Joseph, said it was much too early to talk about the signing of a defence pact.

INS Delhi Commandant Captain Chandra Sekhar Azad, INS Beas commandant Captain Michael T Moraes, Indian Navy Defence Adviser Captain MD Suresh and Captain Karambio Singh were present.