Two stately Indian ships pulled in at the Jeddah Islamic Port Friday on a goodwill visit with the aim to engage “extensively with the Royal Saudi Naval Force during their three-day stay here.” The two warships, INS Delhi and Aditya, are part of Indian Navy's overseas deployment to Russia, Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Stimulated by the warm welcome accorded to them by the Royal Saudi Naval and the port authorities, the Indian fleet commander, Rear Admiral S.P.S. Cheema, AVSM, NM, observed that the navy was a good instrument of international diplomacy. Addressing a press conference Saturday, Cheema outlined the purpose of such friendly visits. They are, he stressed, an exercise aimed at “promoting greater interoperability and foster synergy between the two navies by mutual interaction in the practical aspects of seamanship, ship handling and various other naval evolutions.” The current visit by the Indian naval ships, Admiral Cheema said, is “significantly important in the further development and strengthening of the historical and friendly partnership between India and Saudi Arabia.” Sayeed Baba Ahmad, Consul General of India, accompanied by Admiral Cheema, who is also the group commander and Captains L.V. Sarat Babu, NM and Sanjiv Raj Kapoor, had a meeting with Abdullah Sultan Al-Sultan, Commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces' Western Fleet. They all had a “very good interaction.” Defense adviser, Colonel R.S. Yadav, VSM, Indian Embassy, Riyadh, who was also present at the press meet besides other two officers as well as Consul General Baba, said: “Defense cooperation between the two countries got a boost since 2006 when King Abdullah visited India. Since then some five to six high-level Saudi defense teams have visited India on various occasions. Admiral Cheema looked forward to some engaging meetings with the Saudi navy to have “professional discussions” besides a number of sports and social engagements. The Indian ships would later participate in a bilateral naval exercise with the Royal Saudi Naval Force in the Red Sea. At the end of their visit the two navies will hold “passage exercise,” which, Cheema said, will be conducted by naval ships at the end of the goodwill visit. It will include such events like Cross helicopter landing, maneuvers, flag hoisting drills and photoex. India rightly takes pride in the fact that it is now capable of building its own military vessels which gives it a leverage while pursuing military diplomacy. “Over the last few decades India has made substantial advances in terms of designing and building warships indigenously and the visiting ships are testimony to these capabilities,” Cheema said. The two visiting warships are indigenously built by the design bureau of the Indian Navy and have been completely constructed at public sector shipyards, namely, the Mazagon Dockyard Limited, Mumbai and the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Limited, Kolkata. The destroyer INS Delhi displayed its splendor of its state-of-the-art multiple weapons and sensors fitted into it besides the INS Aditya, which is basically an oil tanker, capable of fuelling at least other four ships, required for “sustaining warships for prolonged durations at sea.” Earlier, Consul General Baba introducing the officers to the press, said: “It is stirring to see the response by the Indian citizens who have been pouring in to visit the ships and interact with the officers and other sailors. Several busses are plying to bring schoolchildren who are showing enthusiasm on the ships.” There is a flurry of cultural activities and several functions have been held and more are in the offing to mark their country's splendid warships' arrival, he said.
