In sign of growing India-UAE security ties, Indian Navy ships visit Dubai to take part in exercise 'Zayed Talwar'

Two frontline ships of the Indian Navy, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand, are at Port Rashid in Dubai to participate in bilateral exercise 'Zayed Talwar' which aims to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.

The ships, which are under the overall command of Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF), are being commanded by Captain Ashok Rao and Captain Pramod G Thomas respectively, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday (August 9, 2023).

During their visit from August 8-11, 2023, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand will undertake professional interactions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Naval Force on various elements of maritime operations and share best practices aimed at enhancing cooperation and strengthening ties between the two navies.

"The current visit shall further enhance maritime partnership between the two navies and foster a common understanding of the security challenges in the region," the Ministry of Defence said.

The traditionally strong bilateral relations between India and the UAE have received impetus with regular high-level visits from both sides.

According to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015 marked the beginning of a new partnership between the two countries. This was followed by a visit to India by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was then the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, in February 2016.

He visited India again in January 2017, as the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations. It was during this visit that the India-UAE bilateral relations were upgraded to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership '.

Prime Minister Modi has visited the UAE several times since 2015, the latest being on July 15, 2023. During this visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President & Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met over delegation level and one-on-one talks.

They agreed to further enhance bilateral collaboration to strengthen maritime security and connectivity in the region to promote prosperity in India, the UAE, and the shared neighborhood. They also agreed to enhance defense exchanges, sharing of experiences, training, and capacity building.

During the talks, the leaders reaffirmed their joint commitment to the fight against extremism and terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all forms, at both the regional and international levels. They agreed to further deepen their bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, terrorist financing, and extremism.