At 9:00 on February 18, Frigate 20 entered Visakhapatnam port with the support of two tugboats. Despite harsh weather conditions, troops of the Indian Navy were present at the port to welcome the Vietnamese frigate. The welcoming ceremony was held right at the port.
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Frigate 20 before entering Visakhapatnam city's port |
Chairing the ceremony were troops and crew-members on Ship INS Airavat who had been to Vietnam nearly one year ago, and they will support the Vietnamese frigate during its participation in MILAN 2024.
This time, Frigate 20 and the Vietnamese naval delegation hoped to respond to the invitation and effective support of the Indian Navy over the past time, while further consolidating and strengthening the friendship and sound cooperation between the two militaries and navies.
According to Commander Le Thanh Binh, Deputy Head of Foreign Affairs Division under the Naval Service, this is the 12th time India has organized the MILAN, so that it has a lot of experience and wholeheartedly supports all participating countries, including Frigate 20 and the Vietnamese naval delegation.
At the port, Frigate 20 is provided with free fresh water and electricity. They are also supported with six cars for travel around the city if needed.
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Senior Captain Doan Bao Anh, Second-in-Command of Naval Region 3 and head of the delegation of the Vietnam People’s Navy, welcoming Indian Ship INS Airavat's captain and crew-members to Frigate 20 |
Especially, during this year’s exercise, the Indian Navy has mobilized Ship INS Airavat to support all activities of Ship 20 and the Vietnam People’s Navy delegation. Accordingly, the Indian ship has sent a team of liaison officers to help Vietnamese troops in all fields.
Commander Rindu Babu, Captain of Ship INS Airavat, said that the Vietnamese delegates could call them whenever they needed.
The Indian friends also hoped that during the ten-day working visit to Visakhapatnam city, the Vietnamese naval troops will not only accomplish their tasks in the framework of the exercise, but also get to know more about Indian country, people and culture. Therefore, they will try their best so that all Vietnamese delegates could have a chance to experience local cultural sites.
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Naval officers of the two sides in a discussion on board Frigate 20 |
With the wholehearted support of the host country, Frigate 20 and the Vietnamese naval delegation are willing to perform all activities during the exercise, thereby raising coordination capability in response to common challenges in maritime security as well as strengthening cooperation, mutual understanding and trust among participating navies.
Translated by Minh Anh