INDIA & THE WORLD BILATERAL AFFAIRS SEPTEMBER 2015
- Indo-Pak Flag Meeting decides to defuse situation on LoC
India and Pakistan on 21st September agreed to exercise restraint and work for defusing the situation on Line of Control (LoC) which has been witnessing repeated ceasefire violations. The senior Army officers of the two countries held a Flag Meeting in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir
PRO Defence said that the Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting was held at Chakan-da-Bagh LoC crossing point in Poonch sector in forenoon.
The representatives of the two nations addressed a host of issues regarding ongoing ceasefire violations, targeting of civilians and sniping action on the LoC
This is the first Flag Meeting held at the level of Brigadiers after nearly 20 days of heavy firing and shelling of 120 mm, 82, 61 mm mortar bombs, RPGs and automatic weapons by Pakistani troops in Poonch district along the LoC.
Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire 25 times in September this year, shelling Indian civilian and military positions using 120 mm, 82 mm mortars, Rocket Projectile Grenades (RPGs) and automatic weapons, according to Indian officials. The last Brigade Commander level meeting was held on September 4 last year after the LoC saw 45-days of heaviest firing by Pakistani troops since 1971. - Indo-US strategic commercial dialogue begins
The Indo-US strategic commercial dialogue began in US ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US. India and US stressed on the need to bolster trade between the world's two largest democracies to take the relationship forward.
This was part of the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between India and US which began in US federal capital on 21st September.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is lead a large delegation comprising ministers of Commerce and Industry, Finance, Corporate Affairs, Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, besides senior officials from various ministries and departments.
The US delegation includes Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. They are accompanied by a high-level inter-agency delegation.
During the Dialogue, several bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest were discussed between the two sides.
A review of the entire the gamut of bilateral relations between India and the US was done and areas identified for future cooperation in strategic, defence and security; energy and environment; science & technology & space; health, education and human development; third country engagement; economy and finance; and trade and investment fields. On the sidelines of the dialogue, mechanisms were also held on energy, health, and climate change. - Government clears $2.5 billion deal for 15 Chinook and 22 Apache choppers
The Union government has cleared the purchase of new attack and heavy lift helicopters from the US. The $2.5 billion deal for a new fleet of 15 Chinook and 22 Apache choppers are a huge boost for the air force & the contract is likely to be expanded to larger number in coming years.
The private sector will benefit as the contract will bring in over $600 million into the defence and aerospace sector as offsets for the deal. Besides, both helicopters are game changers for India and not just on the military front. - Cabinet approves memorandum for cooperation in tourism with Cambodia
The union cabinet gave ex post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia for cooperation in the field of tourism. The MoU was signed during the visit of Vice President Hamid Ansari to Cambodia on September 16.
The main objectives of the agreement include exchange of information and data related to tourism, encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders like hotels and tour operators, exchange of visits of tour operators and opinion makers and participation in travel fairs and exhibitions in each other's country. The release said that Cambodia was an emerging tourism source market for India.
It said extension of the Electronic Tourist Visa facility for the citizens of Cambodia by the Indian government had elicited a good response from the travel trade in both countries. - India, Ireland agree for direct air services to boost tourism
India and Ireland have agreed for direct air services by airlines of both countries. This was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after holding talks with his Irish counterpart Enda Kenny in Dublin this evening. Modi said the air link will not only promote business links between the two countries but also give a strong boost to tourism which is growing at 14 per cent annually.
The two leaders held talks on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues ranging from information technology, bio technology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and clean energy. The two leaders also discussed the role of United Nations in meeting global challenges.
Modi said India has sought Ireland’s support for reforms of the United Nations Security Council within the fixed time frame and successful conclusion of intergovernmental negotiations in the 70th year of the United Nations. The Prime Minister said India also sought Ireland’s support for permanent membership of the reformed Security Council. - PM Modi meets US business leaders, CEOs of media firms in New York
On the first day of his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his engagements in New York with a round table on financial sector with about 15 business leaders of US. CEOs of several FIIs including JP Morgan Chase, Blackstone and AIG were among the prominent participants in the event.
According to MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swaroop the CEOs interacted with the Prime Minister and gave their feedback on their experiences of investing in India. The participating business leaders also raised concerns about procedural delays and bankruptcy laws in India.
The Prime Minister underlined the immense opportunities that India offers for investment as the government has undertaken an ambitious programme of development of infrastructure. - India, US and Japan elevate trilateral talks
India, United States and Japan have decided to elevate their trilateral partnership to the ministerial level,first meeting of which would be held next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. - India to hold Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Los Angeles: With a view to further increase people-to-people contacts between India and the United States, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that India will be holding a regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Los Angeles in November this year. Both, India and the United States, appreciated the intense engagement between the two countries under various institutional bilateral dialogue mechanisms and people-to-people contacts boosting further ties.
- US re-affirms its support for India's bid to permanent seat in UN Security Council
The first round of Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between India and the United States concluded with a joint declaration issued by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The declaration was important on many counts but it acquired special significance because America made a categorical reference to Pakistan asking it to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack.
It also specifically named terror groups such as Al-Qaida and its affiliates, Lashkar-e-Tayba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company, and the Haqqani Network, and other regional groups that seek to undermine peace and stability in South Asia.
The declaration signified a deepening commitment of the two countries to fight the threat of terrorism in the region as well as globally.
In a significant boost to India’s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security council, US reaffirmed its support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.
The two countries also set in motion a number of processes and activities to enhance the trade and investment ties between the two countries. India and US agreed to raise the level of trade between the two countries from the current level of close to 100 billion dollars by 5 times in the coming few years. - India, US to launch innovation forum next year
Days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Silicon Valley, India and the US have agreed to launch a forum next year to boost innovation and related two-way investment and trade.
The two countries will launch a private sector-led Innovation Forum, which will serve as an additional avenue through which the two governments seek private sector feedback and input for bilateral discussions, the State Department said in a fact sheet released after the conclusion of the India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
The Forum will consider a set of rotating topics to ignite and scale innovation, increase related two-way investment and trade, support the advancement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and identify where specific skill sets are needed to propel innovation forward
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will serve as a convener of the annual Innovation Forum, and will be supported by a steering committee comprising organisations from both countries, it said. The Innovation Forum will be memorialised in a broader Memorandum of Understanding related to innovation and entrepreneurship between the US and Indian governments.
India and the US also agreed to support the efforts of the Harvard Business School and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmadabad to develop a cluster map.
This tool will help Indian companies integrate into global supply chains, strengthen India's economy and better enable American companies to identify markets for their products and services in India
Cluster mapping will help US and Indian decision-makers develop more effective, evidence-based commercial linkages that will drive economic growth and development and enhance two-way trade and investment
According to the State Department, the two countries are working together to participate in the development of international standards and technical regulations to boost trade and help reduce administrative and logistical burdens, which disproportionately affect small and medium-sized enterprises.
The two sides will engage their respective industries to identify sectors where standards and conformity assessment- focused cooperative dialogues could lead to mutual benefit and increased trade, it said. - Emphasis on Make In India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for increased investment in various sectors in India in his meeting with top chiefs of 8 financial companies.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined his vision for "Start-Up India, Stand-Up India" and said that along with the public sector and private sector, he was laying emphasis on individual start-ups and entrepreneurs whom he referred to as the "personal sector."
The Prime Minister met top executives of major media and communication companies in New York and discussed the latest trends in media and opportunities in India.
Top executives of Comcast, Time Warner, Discovery, Sony, ESPN, News Corp, 21st Century Fox, Disney Industries, ABC television group were invited for the interaction with PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged protection for Intellectual Property Rights, as he met top executives of major media and communication companies in New York.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged protection to Intellectual Property Rights. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that we are committed to protecting IPR which is essential to fostering creativity.
The CEOs called for speeding up of television digitization, and strengthening of the Mobile Infrastructure. Prime Minister urged them to keep regional languages in mind, as they firm up investment plans for India. - PM Modi meets Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina in New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in New York. The two leaders reviewed the progress of bilateral relations including the Land Boundary Agreement. Both leaders also discussed the issue of connectivity in the region. In the meeting, Bangladesh expressed its support for India’s position on UN Security Council reforms.
The Prime Minister also met his counterpart from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves in New York. The External Affairs Ministry has described the meeting as bringing the Caribbean closer. - India to provide $5 million grant to treat Afghan children
India will provide $5 million grant to Afghan Red Crescent Society for the treatment of Afghanistan's children suffering from congenital heart disease in three hospitals in Delhi. The Indian Embassy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ARCS under which the financial assistance of $5 million will be given to the aid agency over a period of five years beginning 2015.
The grant will be utilised for the treatment of Afghan children at Max, Artemis and Fortis hospitals in New Delhi. These hospitals have offered special concessional rates for treatment of the Afghan children. The first tranche of USD 1 million has already. - Looking at devolution of power to Tamils: Sri Lankan PM
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 15th September said his government is looking at devolution of power to ethnic Tamils under the provisions of the Constitution. At present he is visiting in India. He held delegation level talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Wickremesinghe pitched for deeper economic engagement with India and hoped that both countries will be able to finalise the long-pending Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by next year.
Both Prime Ministers said the two countries are determined to take the relationship to the next level. The two sides also signed four agreements to deepen cooperation in health care and space science.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the Island nation is India's largest partner in defence training programme and both will continue to expand cooperation in the area.
Sri Lanka plans to go ahead with the promise of devolution of power to Tamil-majority areas, a move guaranteed under its constitution but not implemented so far, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. - Pentagon creates India Rapid Cell
Pentagon establishes first ever Rapid Reaction Cell to speed up its defence ties with India; the Indian Cell is seen as a mechanism to accelerate the process of co-development and co-production of hi-tech military equipment with India.
The Pentagon has established a first-ever country special cell to speed up its defence ties with India and accelerate the process of co-development and co-production of hi-tech military equipment in the country. Currently, seven persons are working on this cell, representing various wings of the US Department of Defence.
Given the new thrust on India-US defence relationship under Carter, officials say there is quite a few on the waiting list who have shown keen interest in working at the Pentagon's India Rapid Reaction Cell. - India, Cambodia ink MoUs for cooperation in Tourism, Mekong Ganga Project
India and Cambodia on 16th September signed two MoUs, one relating to Tourism and another umbrella project under Mekong Ganga Cooperation initiative. This covers five Quick Impact Projects which include two in health care, one on Women’s Empowerment through Information and Communications Technology, one on Agriculture and another a 50,000 US Dollar grant for the Cambodia-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (CIEDC) which was launched in February 2006. The MoUs were signed in an official ceremony at the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, in the presence of visiting Vice President Md. Hamid Ansari.
Earlier in his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indian Vice-President Md. Hamid Ansari said, cooperation between India and Cambodia is for mutual benefits and is guided by the requirements and priorities of the people of both the countries. - India-Laos sign key agreements
Vice President Hamid Ansari on 18th September held delegation level talks with the Laotian leadership. India and Laos signed Air service agreement and another agreement on India's grand assistance for quick impact projects were signed after the talks. This is the first visit of an Indian Vice President to Laos.
After a day full of productive engagements at Vientiane, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari wraps up his four day visit to Laos and Cambodia.
The Vice President urged Laos leadership to continue its active support to India for the reforms in UN Security Council. Laos is a member of a group of 42 developing countries pressing for India's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. On the issue of below potential trade relationship with Laos, Mr. Ansari urged the country to make better condition for investments.
He identified three areas - mining, plantation and Small and Medium Enterprises- for investments by Indian companies. A business delegation from India will visit Laos by the end of this year to explore the avenues of trade and investment in Laos. The two countries also discussed on issues of bilateral security cooperation as well as in the context of ASEAN.
The issue of furthering the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit linkages was also agreed to by the two countries. India has offered two scholarship for Buddhist studies in India and also scholarship for the participation of two Lao journalists in the North east music festival in Shillong. - Indo-US strategic dialogue to cover 6 key areas
India and the US will hold talks in six key areas including infrastructure, services, skill development and standards at the first Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in Washington early fourth week of September.
The India-US CEO forum, headed by Tata Group’s Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell’s David Cote, will meet a day prior to the commercial dialogue and provide its inputs. The dialogue will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from the Indian side and US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker from the other side.
The US-India CEO forum will meet on September 21 while the Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue is scheduled on September 22.
The US is one of the largest trading partners of India and the two countries have set a target of increasing bilateral trade five-fold to $500 billion over the next few years. - $5 lakh Indian assistance to Jordan
India announces a cash assistance of USD 500,000 to Jordan to meet the enormous impact of Syrian refugee crisis; The cash assistance is part of the pledge made by India at the 3rd Pledging Conference on Syria held in Kuwait in March.
India on 8th September announced a cash assistance of USD five lakh to Jordan to meet the enormous impact of Syrian refugee crisis. The cash assistance of USD 0.5 million to Jordan is part of the pledge made by India at the 3rd Pledging Conference on Syria held in Kuwait in March.
The cash assistance of USD 0.5 million constitutes the first ever cash assistance from the Government of India to the Government of Jordan on bilateral basis. - Steve Waugh launches property portal for NRIs
Former Australian cricketer Steve Waugh promoted Waugh Global Realty has entered the domestic real estate market by launching a portal that will cater to the housing demands of NRIs.
The company currently has 91 properties listed on its portal of 10 developers across seven cities -- Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.
Waugh Global has partnered with leading developers like the Lodha Group, Godrej, Shapoorji, K Raheja, Kalpataru,Kolte Patil and Sobha Developers among others. - Australian panel gives conditional nod for N-deal
The Australian government says it is examining a report by a parliamentary committee that has recommended more safeguards to India’s nuclear programme before the government can approve uranium sales to India. The report was released by the Joint Standing committee on Treaties (JSCOT) that has been studying the Indo-Australian nuclear deal that was signed by Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Narendra Modi in September 2014.
The parliamentary report that has “in principle” approved the nuclear deal, recommended that India be encouraged to sign the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities further, and appoint an “independent national regulator” to oversee the movement of Uranium, also called Australia-Obligated Nuclear Material (AONM).
The recommendations of the treaty committee are not binding on the Abbott government, but could be used by the opposition Green Party to put further obstacles in the way of uranium sales to India.
In response to a question from The Hindu, the Australian High Commission spokesperson said,” Bringing the agreement into force and making it possible for exports to go ahead are priorities for the government. - DG-level talks between Border Guarding Force of India, Pakistan
Director General-level talks between Border Security Force of India and Pakistan Rangers are underway in a most congenial and positive environment. The main agenda of the talks include ceasefire violations. The talks gain special significance after the National Security Adviser-level talks could not take place due to Pakistan's insistence on discussing Kashmir.
According to BSF, Major General Umar Farooq Burki, Director General, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) is leading a 16 members Pakistani delegation. The 23 member Indian delegation is being led by DG BSF D K Pathak. Both the delegations also have representatives from respective home and foreign ministries along with officers from narcotics control and survey department. - U.K. largest G20 investor in India, currently employs 6.91 lakh people
Since 2000, the U.K. has emerged as the largest G20 investor in India, pumping in $22.2 billion as of March 2015, more than 30 per cent of all investments made by G20 economies in India in that period, according to a report by the Confederation of British Industry released on 10th September.
British companies currently employ 6.91 lakh people in India, working out to 5.5 per cent of total organised private sector jobs, and have revenues of $54 billion arising out of operations in the country.
The British companies have invested the most in the chemicals sector, pumping in $5.8 billion. As a result, British companies account for a whopping 58 per cent of all jobs created by foreign companies in that sector, or 26,900 jobs. Other sectors where the U.K. has invested in a large way include drugs and pharmaceuticals, food processing, services, and petroleum and natural gas.
The report shows that Maharashtra, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu account for the bulk of foreign direct investment (FDI), working out to 55 per cent of all FDI into the country in financial year 2014-15.
FDI has so far created the most jobs — 6,19,300 — in the services sector, followed by the construction sector with 194,100 jobs. Looking ahead, Lord Maude said that there was substantial excitement in the U.K. regarding some upcoming reforms in India. - India, Russia working on general agreement on collaboration
India and Russia are working together on a general agreement on collaboration in science and technology, which will enable the countries to exchange ideas on technology, scientists and students.
It's a general agreement (between Russia and India) related to collaboration in science and technology. This is in the form of exchange of scientists, students and technologies.
Scientists and officials of the two countries discussed the matter during last week's Russian-Indian Working Group on Science and Technology held in Moscow. The two countries have entered into an agreement to set up the Russian-Indian Association of Universities.
The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) and the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology have announced that they would jointly sponsor an international team competition in the field of scientific research. Russia's Ministry of Education and Science has already implemented six joint projects with DST. - India, Australia begin first bilateral exercise
India and Australia on 11th September started the first bilateral exercise AUSINDEX here in a bid to boost ties between the two navies. From Australia, Anzac class frigate, HMAS Arunta, oiler HMAS Sirius, and Collins class submarine HMAS Sheean entered the Visakhapatnam port.
The exercise will include integrated operations with surface, air and sub-surface forces, planning and the conduct of anti-submarine warfare exercises, helicopter cross deck operations, surface and anti-air firing exercises, and seamanship exercises. The exercise will comprise of a harbour phase, a sea phase as well as a debrief phase. - DG-level talks between BSF, Pak Rangers conclude
Director General-level talks between India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers were held in New Delhi on 12th September which concluded with signing of joint record of discussions. The talks were held in a constructive atmosphere and need for cooperation to maintain sanctity of borders was stressed upon.
Specific issues of concern like incidents of firing at the borders, smuggling of narcotics, infiltration attempts and defence construction activities were discussed. The issue of inadvertent crossing over by border population and on how to facilitate their return on both the sides was also discussed. It was mutually agreed to hold the next talks in the first half of 2016 in Pakistan.
The 23 member Indian delegation was led by DG BSF D K Pathak and the Pakistani delegation was led by Umar Farooq Burki. - e-visa facility to be extended to 37 more countries: Govt
Tourism ministry has said that e-visa facility will be extended to 37 more countries to attract maximum foreign tourists in the country.
Currently the Ministry has given e-Visa facility to 113 countries and the number will go upto 150 soon. A total of more than 22,000 tourists used e-Visa facility to visit India in August this year, compared to 2700 in August, 2014. - US extends anti-dumping duty on Indian preserved mushrooms for 5 years
The United States has extended the anti-dumping duty on Indian preserved mushrooms for another five years. The US International Trade Commission has extended the restrictive duty on the Indian commodity for five years.
The move is likely to impact domestic exporters as the US is a major export destination for India. In 2014-15, India exported mushrooms worth 16.08 million dollars and during April-May this fiscal the exports aggregated at 1.63 million dollars.
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir are the major states which are producing the commodity.
Solan in Himachal Pradesh is popular as 'Mushroom City of India'.
'Preserved mushrooms' refer to mushrooms that have been prepared or preserved by cleaning, blanching, and sometimes slicing and cutting. Mushrooms are very nutritious, rich in proteins, fibre and have folic acid content that is uncommon in vegetables and amino acids which are usually absent in cereals. - India, Australia hold talks on boosting security co-operation
India and Australia on 2nd September discussed bilateral co-operation in the field of security on 2nd September. The visiting Australian Minister of Defence, Kevin Andrews and the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju discussed intelligence sharing, combating international terrorism, cyber security and better working relations for border and maritime security. They also touched upon the issues of stability in Asia Pacific region, security of sea lanes.
The two leaders also discussed the follow-up of the financial action task force in Brisbane, Australia in June 2015 and addressed deficiencies in implementation of the recommendations with regard to terror financing. - SAARC countries' conference on disaster begins in Delhi
A conference of SAARC countries to chalk out and undertake joint efforts on various issues related to disaster mapping and mitigation in the member nations began on 3rd September
The conference, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster Response Force, is being held keeping in mind the prevalent geo-climatic conditions as well as increased frequency of natural calamities in the SAARC region, especially in the wake of the recent earthquake in Nepal in April. This calls for enhanced levels of preparedness and risk resilience as well as collaborative action amongst member countries to individually and jointly deal with such disaster situations and ensure minimal loss of lives and assets. It said keeping in mind such scenarios, local, national, regional and international cooperation and coordination are more vital than ever before.
Owing to unique geo-climatic-social conditions, South Asia is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters of varying magnitude and manifold dimensions, it said.
India has taken the lead to begin the process of simulation exercises on disaster management in the region coined as "South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise" (SAADMEx) and has requested the participation of all SAARC countries for augmenting current levels of individual and joint preparedness for rescue, relief and response efforts during disaster situations. The exercise will be conducted in two phases.
In the first phase, the current advance coordination conference is being held with representatives from member countries on September 3-4 here to discuss the modalities and requirements of the main exercise.
The main exercise will be held from November 23-26 in the National Capital Region and will consist of three components, namely the Table Top Exercise (TTx), the Field Training Exercise (FTx) and the After Action Review (AAR). This will be followed by a a day-long SAARC Workshop on sharing Best Practices on "Disaster Risk Reduction" scheduled on November 27.
During the inaugural event here, NDRF Director General OP Singh stressed on the need to have concerted efforts by all stakeholders to achieve the desired results. - India, UAE agree to increase bilateral trade by 60% in next 5 years
India and United Arab Emirates, UAE have agreed to enhance cooperation in different areas including trade, commerce, investments, energy, defence, space, security and combating Crime. The agreements were arrived at the 11th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi on 3rd September.
The two sides also agreed to work for early establishment of the planned India-UAE Joint Fund for investments in the infrastructure sector in India. The two sides also signed MOUs on cooperation in the areas of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tourism, Telecommunication and also between the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry. - Indian Naval Ships Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul enter Dubai
Indian Naval Ships Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul entered Dubai and shall remain there till 08 Sep 15. The ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai and are on a long-range deployment to the Persian Gulf to enhance bilateral ties with friendly regional navies. The involvement of Indian Naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia since October 2008 has further strengthened bilateral ties and interaction with navies in the region.
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